A devastated mum has revealed how her 'good-hearted' son was told he'd need to wait three weeks before he could see a GP - and died just a few days later.
Alex Theodossiadis, 25, had just started to see success as a DJ - having played in Croatia and booked a trip to perform in the US - when he began to feel unwell. He developed a severe and debilitating headache, and felt so ill and weak he was unable to eat properly or go out. Alex tried going to his GP, where he was given an appointment in three weeks' time. But by the time that appointment came around, Alex had already been dead for a week after contracting meningitis.
Alex, who was raised in Hale, Manchester, had moved to Leeds and was said to be enjoying life working at the Tribe Records shop while developing his fledgling career as a DJ. In January 2020, Alex started to complain of earache and suspected he may have sinusitis, mum Professor Sue Astley Theodossiadis said. His symptoms gradually worsened and before long he had a "horrible headache", stopped eating, and eventually "couldn't get out of bed".
He tried to get a GP appointment, but was offered one in three weeks. His family say reception staff had failed to realise that his symptoms needed urgent evaluation by a doctor.
His debilitating headache, weakness and inability to eat are all classic symptoms of meningitis - a life-threatening condition in which the three thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord become inflamed. This is typically caused by an infection.
Alex's mum, who is a medical imaging expert at the University of Manchester, said medical notes that were revealed at the inquest into his death left the family convinced that his care "could have been better" and that his death might have been preventable. She told Manchester Evening News: "He was told he had to wait for three weeks for a GP appointment. But after becoming progressively unwell, he went to a walk-in clinic where the first words written by the nurse at the appointment were 'cough and cold' symptoms, despite his most concerning symptoms including a new, debilitating headache.
"He was so ill he couldn't even climb the stairs to his bedroom, but the duration and severity of his symptoms wasn't discussed at the appointment. It's likely that his inexperience in presenting his symptoms contributed to a presumption of a flu type viral infection; he left the surgery with painkillers for the headache." She added: "The coroner picked up the need for GP receptionists to ask questions and help people to be clearer about their symptoms so they can triage them more appropriately to get urgent appointments."
Like many young people in their 20s who live independently, Alex "was telling us and a lot of his friends slightly different bits" of what was going on as his symptoms progressed, meaning no-one had a full idea of just how bad things had got. Sue said: "No one was collecting that overall picture. When it came to the inquest, you could see how ill he'd really been."
Facebook messages to his friends and family later found by Alex's mother gave a much fuller picture. After posting one message to a friend in Germany which said he was "in and out of naps", another friend took him to hospital. Alex was taken by a friend to Leeds General Infirmary and then transferred across the city to St James' Hospital.
While there, he fell from his hospital bed and banged his head on the floor. Sue says that, before the fall, he could recognise his family and there was no need for extreme intervention like neurosurgery. But afterwards, he couldn't breathe on his own and the doctors could do little more for him.
Alex's mum said: "With the extra injury, the neurosurgery wasn't even an option anymore. It was a case of not a lot they could do for him."
Incredibly, more than 50 friends from across the world arrived at the hospital to be with Alex in his final hours. They camped out in the hospital café, taking it in turns to hold vigil at his bedside, his mum said. Alex died three days after being first taken to hospital. His funeral came just one day before the Covid lockdown came into effect in 2020.
Five years on, mum Sue says she has has been left wondering where a life in music would have taken him – and is facing the heartbreaking milestone of her youngest child now being older than Alex was at the time of his death.
She explained: "Alex was very single-minded in what he wanted to do, it's not an easy life but he found his circle of people. Alex was interested in politics, passionate about environmental issues, and was very socially aware. He was such a good-hearted person. We went to see him play at Antwerp Mansion once, we had about 10 times as many clothes on as everybody else. One of the doorstaff said 'you must be Alex's parents', and we were so proud. It just feels like another world, it's all photographs now. We shared a lot of happy times."
Alex's mum has recently been working with the charities Meningitis Now and the PSHE Association to develop teaching resources for schools in a bid to prevent others from experiencing the same fate. These are made up of two lessons which teach 16 to 18-year-olds how to recognise serious illness in themselves and others, and to have the confidence and knowledge to navigate the healthcare system.
One section includes role playing on how to get a doctor's appointment. The pack was part-funded by the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester, after the professor pitched her idea through a 'Dragon's Den' style event at her workplace, and part-funded by Meningitis Now.
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