Meningitis: Gold Coast girl Norah, 4, was told by doctors she just had gastro and died days later

A four-year-old girl died just days after doctors misdiagnosed her as having gastro. 

When little Norah Terei-Bristowe got sick with a fever, vomiting and a headache last month, her parents called a doctor to their home. 

The doctor thought the four-year-old had gastroenteritis, but her symptoms worsened over weekend, and by Monday morning, on August 28, she was unresponsive.

Her mum Allie Broughton, 31, and dad Trey Terei-Bristowe, 30, rushed their daughter to Gold Coast University Hospital, where she was found to have a rare case of bacterial pneumococcal meningitis, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Norah, who friends described as ‘pure sunshine and laughter’, died two days later.  

Norah (centre) is pictured with her mum Allie Broughton, 31, and dad Trey Terei-Bristowe, 30

Around 300 people attended her traditional Maori funeral at Allambie Gardens on Tuesday. 

Norah’s parents thanked Dr Sebastian Rimpau and the nurses in the Intensive Care Unit for their care of Norah.

‘We said goodbye to our princess on August 30, 2023,’ they said in a statement. 

‘She was surrounded by all of her family and will forever be in our hearts and we will always hold onto our memories with her and all of the laughter and joy she brought into our lives.’

They also urged other parents to take their children to hospital as soon as possible if they had doubts about their condition.

‘When we got to the hospital, the treatment was not able to catch up to how quick it spread to her brain.

‘This rare strain of meningitis causes severe brain damage and there isn’t any prevention or treatments that can save them.’

Most cases occur in babies and young children under 18 months of age, but there is no vaccine for the strain which killed Norah.

Family friend Wade Paniora has organised a fundraising appeal to help alleviate some of their costs.

The GoFundMe appeal had raised more than $20,000 of the $30,000 target by Wednesday night. 

Gold Coast radio host Emily Jade O’Keeffe, whose children were friends with Norah, said she enriched the lives of everyone who knew her. 

‘Our hearts are all broken for them and all our lives will never be the same,’ she said.

‘She was just sunshine and laughter. It’s just so sad.’

Norah (pictured) has been remembered as enriching the lives of everyone who knew her