It's Time Nearly twenty-nine years ago, bacterial meningitis changed the course of my life. What I didn't realize then was that it also set me on two different journeys. One became my career. The other quietly became my life's work. For more th…

The Mening-Itinerary Last year, I had the opportunity to be part of GSK's Ask2BSure campaign and help raise awareness about meningitis through Pretty Hurts. This year, the campaign got even bigger. And funnier. GSK teamed up with Julie Bow…

Twenty-Eight Years Later On February 7, 1998, I was rushed to the hospital unconscious with bacterial meningitis. My parents were told I was unlikely to survive. Exactly twenty-eight years later, on February 7, 2026, I stood in a room at the…

I don’t always look blind. And that can be the hardest part. After meningitis, I lost most of my sight. One eye is completely blind. The other works just enough to make things complicated. I miss facial expressions. I miss subtle cues. I w…

I was 19 when bacterial meningitis hit. One minute I was living my best life.The next, I was in a hospital bed not expected to make it.I survived… in a coma.Then I woke up and realized survival was the easy part.Because the real work started a…

I’m launching a book on February 7, 2026.That date isn’t random. It’s exactly 28 years after I arrived at the hospital and barely survived bacterial meningitis.This book is the story of what happened next. The messy rebuild. The humor. The hard trut…

I had the incredible honor of attending the premiere of Lifetime and GSK’s powerful new original movie, Pretty Hurts — and let’s just say, this time, the red-carpet experience was a little different than my first. That one involved me, a bottle of w…

.:: By John B Grimes It’s funny how simple phrases can carry the weight of entire life lessons. “Pride makes excuses. Humility makes adjustments.” When I first heard that, just a couple of weeks ago, it stopped me cold. Not because it was some g…

.:: By John B Grimes "The past is a chapter; the future is unwritten. Normal isn’t behind you—it’s what you build ahead." Life after a major change isn’t about going back to the way things were—it’s about redefining what “normal” means. It’s…

.:: By John B Grimes "Strength isn’t about standing alone—it’s about knowing when to reach out." Strength doesn’t always mean doing it alone. Sometimes, the strongest thing you can do is ask for help. It’s not a weakness—it’s how we move for…

.:: By John B Grimes "Frustration is the weight room for resilience—every struggle makes you stronger." Frustration is part of every journey. It’s uncomfortable, exhausting, and sometimes feels like it will never end. But if I’ve learned one…

.:: By John B Grimes "The hardest part of rebuilding is starting. The best part is realizing how far you’ve come." Rebuilding isn’t about rushing to the finish line—it’s about focusing on the step in front of you. Sometimes, life demands we …

.:: By John B Grimes "Small wins are the proof that big things are possible—don’t overlook them." Progress doesn’t always look the way we expect. Sometimes it’s not a giant leap forward but a small, almost imperceptible step. But those small…

.:: By John B Grimes "A strong connection can bridge any gap—don’t wait to build yours." No one gets through life alone. At some point, we all rely on the kindness, support, or wisdom of others. For me, that realization came during one of th…

.:: By John B Grimes Sometimes, life puts you back at square one. It forces you to face a reality you didn’t expect and challenges you to rebuild from the ground up. Progress might feel impossible, but it starts with one step. When I woke up …

.:: By John B Grimes  As I swam back to an uneasy consciousness after eight days in a coma, the first thing I saw was darkness. I was disoriented by the darkness. I could hear—beeping machines, a constant stream of doctors, nurses, and therapists c…

.:: By John B Grimes  Did you know bacterial meningitis can change your life in an instant? I didn’t. Before it hit me, I had no idea what meningitis even was. One moment, I was living my life like any other 19-year-old college student, feeling …

On October 5, 2024, The Colony, Texas, witnessed an incredible event at Topgolf as we celebrated World Meningitis Day with the first-ever expansion of the Shots 4 Meningitis charity golf outing. With a more-than-sold-out group of enthusiastic partic…

SHOTS 4 MENINGITIS GOLF OUTING TO RAISE MONEY AND AWARENESSON WORLD MENINGITIS DAY The Colony, TX – September 3, 2024 – The Becky Werner Meningitis Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting those affected by meningitis and rai…

Erin and I had the honor of participating in the 18th Annual Shots 4 Meningitis Golf Outing and were paired with Danielle and Anthon Hodges from the PAMAH Foundation. It was a beautiful day at Morningstar Golfer's Club in Waukesha, Wisc…

.:: By John B Grimes “Surviving meningitis turned out to be the easy part—so easy that I'd done it in my sleep. The seemingly impossible part was living life after surviving meningitis.” When I reflect on those words, they resonate deeply withi…

My op-ed was published in the Dallas Morning News on April 5, 2024. "I had never heard of meningitis until it changed my life forever"  :: READ HERE :: 

.:: By John B Grimes Following a recent interview, I've had the opportunity to reflect further on a question I was asked. With this additional time for consideration, I'd like to provide a more comprehensive response.  First of all, I think it’…

.:: By John B Grimes "SURVIVAL ISN'T THE END OF THE JOURNEY—IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING." MY MENINGITIS STORY As a 19-year-old sophomore at Texas Tech University, I was a typical student and like most teenagers, felt like I was 10 feet tall and bulle…