“My parents had to make the hardest decision of any parent; to turn off his life support” were the heart-breaking words a loving brother recalled when thinking about his seven-year-old sibling who died from meningitis in 1982.

Now he is taking on a 88-mile challenge to raise money for the charity looking to find a cure.

Sutton father-of-five Lee Miller will walk Hadrian’s Wall this year in remembrance of his brother Tony, who lost his childhood battle with meningitis. The brothers were in Spain on a family holiday 33 years ago when Tony fell into a coma, initially thought to be a symptom of appendicitis.

Mr Miller, 41, of Lambert Road, said the pair had been playing with our cars in a dirt football pitch on a late afternoon.

He said: “That evening my brother Tony fell ill with a fever and sickness, my parents thought it was just a sickness bug.”

His family would soon learn that Tony had a life-threatening form of meningitis which can lead to blood poisoning, known as septicaemia.

Mr Miller said: “After a very short time he fell into a coma and my parents were told if he recovered he will be severely brain damaged.

“It was then that my parents had to make the hardest decision of any parent; to turn off his life support.” The disease, which affects about three people in every 100,000 in the UK each year, is caused by common bacteria, to which the majority of people have a natural immunity.

Your Local Guardian:

John Grose, who is also taking on the challenge and Lee Miller 

Mr Miller’s 88-mile walk along Hadrian’s Wall will start on June 12, and is scheduled to finish two days later with the money raised donated to the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Mr Miller added: “I want to try to help in some way to support with research into this terrible illness, which is why I have decided to participate in a charity walk, to not only raise awareness but to help raise much needed funds for research into prevention, and to support families affected by meningitis.” To donate visit justgiving.

com/hadriantony.