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Unprotected People Reports: Pneumococcal |
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Boy Dies of Pneumococcal Meningitis |
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| Click here for a fully-formatted PDF version
of this report |
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| The following article was written by Carla Newby, who lost her son to
pneumococcal meningitis and is now general manager of the Meningitis Foundation
of America. |
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As the general manager of the Meningitis Foundation of America and a mother,
I would like to tell you about my baby, my only son, Jacob. He touched so many
lives in the six short years he was here on earth.
In the fall of 1998, life was good for our family. Jacob was an all-American
kid with no special medical problems. He loved life and he got along well with
everybody.
My nightmare began on Monday, October 26. Jake was feeling ill when I went
in to wake him and his sister, Lacey, for school. I gave him some ibuprofen and
he lay around for the rest of the day. About 5 p.m. he said he really didn't
feel well. He had a fever. I bathed him with cool water and held him. When I
discovered his temperature was 104.5, I called our family physician and told him
that I wanted to take Jacob to the ER. The doctor discouraged me, but I finally
convinced him.
At the hospital, they took blood and confirmed there was an infection
somewhere. More tests were ordered and all of them came back negative. The ER
doctor diagnosed Jacob with strep throat and gave us a very strong antibiotic.
My mother was with us and asked the doctor to check for meningitis or
encephalitis. The doctor said she wasn't concerned about meningitis and that if
Jacob wasn't better by Thursday, I should take him to our doctor. She thought
Jacob could probably return to school on Thursday.
That night Jacob didn't sleep well, but he felt a
little better the next morning. We had the best day we ever had; doing all his
favorite things and eating his favorite foods. But by 6 p.m., he said his head
felt like it was going to crack open. He continued to get worse. I got out my
medical assisting book and started reading about meningitis. I began to suspect
Jacob had the symptoms. I talked to my doctor again and he told me to get Jacob
to the ER right away. I had to carry him to the car.
We waited in the ER for an hour. Jacob was vomiting and didn't want anyone
to hold him. His face was gray and he acted very tired. Once we got in to be
seen, he seemed to be sleeping. But a little later he became combative and
started making high-pitched screams and throwing himself back onto the bed.
I told the doctor I thought he had
meningitis. She ordered a CAT scan and the results were normal. She
finally decided to do a spinal tap--the only way to confirm meningitis. As
we waited for the results, Jacob called for me. I touched his hand and
told him I was there for him. A while later, he sat straight up and
screamed, "Get my daddy!" Those were the last words he ever spoke.
They put him on oxygen and a variety of other monitors and we waited. The
spinal tap results came back. Jacob was suffering from pneumococcal
meningitis.
They told us they wanted to transport Jacob to another hospital. I rode
with him in the ambulance. I still thought that everything would be okay.
Maybe we would have to stay the night, but then Jake would be released the
next day.
At the second hospital, I met up with my family. We were told to stay in
the waiting room while they worked on Jake. The doctor finally came out
and took us to a private room. I'll never forget his words. He said,
"Jacob is a very sick little boy. He's on a respirator, he's in a coma,
and he's not going to make it."
I didn't believe it. I told him he was wrong--that Jacob would pull
through. But eventually I knew--I just knew that God was going to take
him. Fourteen hours later, two days after he first got sick, they
pronounced Jacob brain dead. I crawled into bed with him and sang our
favorite song, "You Are My Sunshine."
There are no words to describe the horror of watching your child dying. My
nightmare has never ended.
The funeral was November 1, but I don't remember it. Everything was just a
blur.
Now I work very hard at the Meningitis Foundation of America to ensure
that other parents never have to experience the heartache that my family
has endured. I urge parents everywhere to get their children vaccinated. I
believe that if the pneumococcal vaccine for children had been available
during the first few years of Jacob's life, we would not have lost him.
Vaccination is very important. It is a matter of life and death.
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| 5/1/01 • REPORT #40 |
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| Disclaimer: The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) publishes
Unprotected People Reports for the purpose of making them available
for our readers' review. We have not verified the content of this
report. |
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