“There were so many things I couldn’t do.”

“You become very isolated,” says Lily. “You don’t have the freedom of catching up whenever you want to with your friends. I couldn’t swim. There were so many things I couldn’t do.

“I could only drink a certain amount of liquid per day. I couldn’t eat anything with salt in it. There were so many restrictions.

“Going to the pub with friends after work or going to the markets on a Saturday were not an option as I had to be in the hospital for dialysis. My social life, my work life, everything stopped.”

It took a long time for Lily's life to return to normal. Image: Supplied.

"My friends and I knew nothing about meningococcal."

Despite being vaccinated for meningococcal C, the rare strain of meningococcal that Lily had contracted wasn’t covered at the time.

But things are changing,. Now, all parents need to do is

Lily stresses that parents should not be complacent

Lily's proud to use her voice now to advocate for meningococcal vaccination. Image: Supplied.

"I may have lost a year but I have my whole life ahead of me."

After nine months of dialysis, Lily had a successful kidney transplant from her sister, as her parents weren’t a match. "It’s a big deal for her and I don’t go a day without forgetting it," she explains.

Rather than allowing her experience fill her life with anxiety, 25-year-old Lily has an optimistic view.

"I’m very much of the mindset that life is very precious and short so we need to make the most of it," she shares. "I’m not as cautious as I thought I’d be after this."

Lily shared a memory from her time in ICU that she says changed her perspective: "There was a moment when I heard a nurse offering my mum and sister counselling, and I assumed that meant that I was dying. In that moment, when I thought I was dying, everything went numb and I felt OK with it.

"Now I have the mindset that I need to make the most of everything. I may have lost a year but I have my whole life ahead of me."

Find out more information about the meningococcal ACWY vaccine for teens.