Sammy Kennedy said Jack had been healthy before becoming seriously unwell following several days of fever and vomiting.

His breathing became heavy and fast, he was extremely lethargic and increasingly difficult to wake.

Kennedy said there was no rash and his temperature was about 38.4°C. “I had never seen him like that before and knew something wasn’t right.”

Jack was seen quickly by a GP, where dehydration was initially considered as a possible reason for his condition. The family spent the day trying to get fluids into him, but when he failed to improve he was referred to Christchurch Hospital.

Kennedy said the initial plan was to continue hydrating Jack and reassess him several hours later before antibiotics were started. She was uncomfortable with waiting.

“We’d already spent the whole day trying to hydrate him with no improvement and I just had this feeling that we couldn’t afford to wait another four hours.

“I said I wanted the antibiotics started first.” Doctors agreed and further testing confirmed Jack had pneumococcal bacterial meningitis and sepsis.

“I’m incredibly grateful that I trusted my instincts and spoke up,” Kennedy said. “Knowing what we know now, I think about those four hours a lot.”

As Jack recovered, his parents realised he was no longer responding to sound. They initially hoped the problem might be caused by fluid in his ears, but further testing confirmed profound and permanent hearing loss.

“That was incredibly hard to comprehend on top of everything else that had happened,” Kennedy said.

Because meningitis can cause changes inside the cochlea, doctors moved quickly. Jack underwent cochlear implant surgery in both ears on 24 September, one day after his deafness was diagnosed and about 10 days after he first became sick.

His implants have since been switched on, with positive results on both sides. Kennedy said the family wanted people to understand the implants did not restore normal hearing.

“The technology is honestly amazing. His implants have now been switched on, and we had positive results on both sides, however it’s important to us that people understand they aren’t ‘magic’ and he’s not suddenly ‘hearing’ as normal, but he has access to sound.”

She and her husband Joel are also learning sign language and will support Jack with speech and language development as he grows.

Kennedy said the biggest lesson for other parents was to recognise when their child seemed genuinely different.

“The biggest red flags for us weren’t a huge fever or a rash. They were his heavy, fast breathing, extreme lethargy and how difficult he became to wake.

“Parents know their children, and if something feels genuinely different, don’t be afraid to say so and keep advocating for them.”

Jack is now sitting and crawling again and regaining his strength.

A Givealittle page has been set up by Kennedy’s close friend Amanda Johanson to help Sammy and Joel while they focus on his recovery.

The family is currently relying on one income and facing ongoing costs associated with hospital care, rehabilitation and any treatment that is not funded.

Kennedy said she and Joel were grateful Jack had survived while adjusting to a future they had never expected.

“Being deaf doesn’t make him any less capable, and we’re excited to learn alongside him and see where he goes from here.”