‘I never got to say goodbye’: The heartbreak of losing a child to a vaccine-preventable disease

MenB was responsible for all US college meningococcal outbreaks from 2011 through March 2019, which involved 13 campuses, 50 cases, and 2 deaths among an at-risk population of approximately 253,000 students.

October 7, 2020
The Butler County Times-Gazette

SUMMARY

“I received a phone call one day that devastated my life forever. My son, Nico, had been diagnosed with meningococcal disease, and was at the hospital for only eight minutes before losing consciousness. He never woke up — and as a father, I never got to say goodbye.”

Nico’s symptoms began with a severe headache after a night out with friends. The next day, Nico’s headache progressed to flu-like symptoms, and after a visit to the student health clinic, he returned home to rest. Hours later, he was rushed to the emergency room and diagnosed with meningitis B (MenB), which would ultimately cost him his life.

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