Nauseous and with a splitting headache, Michael Parkes blamed his bout of ill health on August 21, 1999, on a night of heavy drinking.
But this was no hangover – within hours the 18-year-old was rushed to hospital with meningitis and clinging on to life.
Now – 15 years on – Mr Parkes has vowed to raise money to help others fight the deadly disease by undertaking 15 grueling physical challenges.
With a half-marathon, 10k run, charity football match and curry eating challenge already under his belt, Buckie resident Mr Parkes took the plunge in the icy waters of Cullen Bay yesterday.
After his bracing swim, Mr Parkes said: “I’m still thawing out to be honest. A few of my friends and family who I’ve known most of my life came down to cheer me on.
“It was freezing, but it’s only a few minutes of my life and when you think about what the money’s being raised for it doesn’t matter.”
Mr Parkes spent five days in intensive care after he was diagnosed with meningococcal septicemia, and it was down to his family’s quick thinking that he was seen by a doctor and given a life-saving shot of penicillin.
His target is to raise £1,500 before he completes his final challenge – the London Marathon on April 26.
With more than £1,250 already pledged on Mr Parke’s Just Giving page, and with 10 challenges still to go, his chosen charity Meningitis Research Foundation looks likely to be receiving a big donation.
Mr Parkes said: “To mark the 15th anniversary of my diagnosis, I’ve been given the chance to fulfill an ambition and run the London Marathon for the Meningitis Research Foundation.
“There was only one charity I was ever going to want to commit to running 26.2 miles for.”
Describing himself as “one of the lucky ones”, Mr Parkes is also desperate to raise awareness to help people spot the symptoms of meningitis before it is too late.
Figures from the Meningitis Research Foundation show that roughly 3,200 people contract meninigits or septicaemia each year. One in 10 will die, and a quarter of those who survive will be left with “life-altering” after-effects.