TOWIE star Jordan Brook has revealed that his unborn son gave him the will to survive after he was diagnosed with a severe case of viral meningitis. The reality TV personality, who runs a barber empire, spent 22 days in hospital after being misdiagnosed with a migraine.
Brook, 30, told how his symptoms rapidly worsened, leading to a diagnosis of viral meningitis and encephalitis, which caused his brain to swell dangerously. He admitted that trusting his gut instinct saved his life, as he knew his condition was more serious than initially thought.
Speaking about his ordeal, Brook said: 'The viruses were causing my brain to swell at a hugely dangerous rate and it was causing changes to my personality. There were times in hospital I didn’t even know who I was.' He recalled shouting at a member of the public to turn down their phone, a stark contrast to his usual placid nature.
Brook and his partner Sophie Kasaei had been on a two-year IVF journey before announcing their pregnancy. He credited his unborn son with giving him the strength to fight: 'He saved my life because becoming a father was the one thing I held onto and never forgot – even when the virus was actively changing who I was.'
After leaving hospital, Brook faced a difficult recovery, unable to walk for a while and suffering from muscle deterioration and fatigue. He remains under medical supervision, undergoing regular MRI and CT scans to monitor potential permanent damage from scar tissue on his brain.
