TikTok influencer warns of deadly condition after cousin died suddenly aged 13

30 December 2023 , 14:00

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Casey Major-Bunce and her cousin Liz Major were inseparable growing up (Image: Casey Major-Bunce)

A social media influencer and mum has shared how the sudden death of her cousin who was “like a sister” still affects her every day.

Casey Major-Bunce, 32, and her cousin Liz Major were inseparable growing up. They shared their birthday parties, sleepovers and a love of boy bands. But Casey described how she was left heartbroken after Liz fell ill suddenly and sadly died aged just 13.

Now, on the 20th anniversary of Liz’s death, Casey has spoken about her pain, describing how she still lives with the loss every day. The family always decorate Liz’s grave at Christmas and light a candle for her whilst sharing stories and talking about her. Mum-of-four Casey is now an influencer with over 420,000 followers on her @majormumhacks instagram account. She is using her platform to raise awareness about the risks of meningitis.

Casey, from Portsmouth, said: “To me, Liz was more like a sister. We used to always have the same birthday and Christmas presents, and our mums would always dress us the same. We were so close we did everything together, sleep overs, days out, we went to watch Adam Rickitt and A1 together. I remember we would take turns singing to each other. One would have a bath and the other would sit on the floor and we would practise new songs together and teach each other the words, we loved each other like sisters.”

Then Casey says when she was 13 she remembers her mum telling her that Liz was poorly. She said: “It was a really hot day in May and my mum took me to buy a paddling pool. I remember saying when Liz gets better she can come round and play in the pool but when we got home my dad was crying on the sofa.

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“I asked him what's the matter and he stood up, tried to hug me and he said: ‘They think Liz is going to die.’ I pushed my dad away, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I couldn’t believe it, I ran to my mum and dad’s room and jumped on their bed, I felt like I needed to scream so I grabbed my mum’s pillow and screamed in it. "Years on I asked my parents if they heard me and they still say that sound will live with them forever.”

Casey, 32, is now an influencer on TikTok but says she still thinks about Liz every day (Casey Major-Bunce)

Casey went to the hospital to say goodbye to her cousin, for three days and nights she visited until the agonising time came to turn off her life support. Casey said: “I will never forget the machines and the tubes but she looked herself. She just looked asleep. I spent three days with her. I slept in hospital with her, I held her hand and brushed her hair. I never said goodbye because it didn't feel right but I was with her until the doctors were ready to turn off the machines and I walked out.”

Casey says Liz didn’t have the rash that everyone associates with Meningitis until the very end of her life. Her symptoms before she took a turn for the worse were a stiff neck, cold hands that wouldn’t warm and headaches. Over the years Casey has made it her mission to raise awareness of how serious Meningitis can be and recently she has been made a celebrity ambassador for the charity Meningitis Now.

Casy said Liz was “like a sister” sharing birthday parties, sleepovers and a love of boy bands (Casey Major-Bunce)

She said: “It means everything to me to be able to share Liz’s story and raise awareness. I could have let my grief consume me and do nothing about it. Instead, I would rather put that grief into a meaningful cause. If it saves one family going through what we've had to go through I’ll be so proud. Every single day of our lives she is on our minds. We miss her everyday but I want to make her and her family proud.”

Casey asked Liz’s baby brother, Kyle, to be Maid of Honour at her wedding in tribute to Liz and gave one of her twin’s the name Elizabeth for her middle name. Casey said: “After Liz passed I promised that I would look after him and now we look after each other. We chat most days and see each other a lot we laugh about the old days and we also cry together but I feel so blessed to be so close to him.

The family decorate Liz’s grave and light a candle for her whilst always sharing stories and talking about her

“As kids me and Liz had said we would name our daughters after each other, so when I had identical twins, I felt like she sent them to me so I could use both of our names for middle names.” In May this year it was 20 years since Liz died. Casey said: “20 years in and I'm still grieving, and I will grieve for the rest of my life because she was my life for 13 years, she was my whole childhood.

"I always took for granted that we had forever together. The impact of losing Liz affects us every day. As a whole family we worry about meningitis, it's always in the back of our minds when someone is ill. When I was pregnant with my eldest, I had Strep B and at 24 hours old my baby, Aaron, contracted meningitis Step B. Because I was aware of the symptoms I pushed for him to be seen and he went to special care for treatment. I try and tell myself that because of my past, I knew the signs. I want to arm other families with the same knowledge.”

Casey said she gave her identical twins her, and Liz's names in memeory of her cousin (Casey Major-Bunce)

Casey is an Ambassador for charity Meningitis Now. A spokesperson for Meningitis now said: “Meningitis Now is a UK charity that supports everyone affected by meningitis, spreads lifesaving awareness about the disease and funds research into vaccines to prevent it. Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Some bacteria that cause meningitis can also cause septicaemia (blood poisoning). Meningitis can affect anyone of any age and can kill within hours. Meningitis symptoms can appear in any order. Some may not appear at all. Early symptoms of meningitis can include: fever, headache, vomiting, muscle pain and fever with cold hands and feet."

You can learn more about Casey's work on her Instagram page here.

Joe Smith