I can’t imagine the horror of watching my little girl die.
I have a 15 month old little girl. She is always bright and happy. Eager to laugh and make others laugh.
We play. We bond. We nurse. We love.
She is my life and I cannot imagine watching her fade away from me in as little as four hours. That is how quickly meningococcal disease can begin and ultimately kill a little one.
Meningococcal disease first shows itself in the form of non-specific flu-like symptoms. It then progresses quickly and aggressively, and can kill in as little as four hours. This makes it hard to diagnose and treat.
When it doesn’t kill, (1 out of 7 will die from this disease) it can leave those who survive with:
- paralysis
- seizures
- strokes
- hearing loss
- limb amputations
- blindness
- organ damage
- severe scarring
- brain damage
- and more
I would like to share with you the heartbreaking story of Yecenia Manzano and her little baby girl, Bella:
Yecenia’s daughter, Bella, was born a beautiful, healthy baby. She was always happy and smiling. Unfortunately, at just 3 1/2 months old, she contracted meningococcal meningitis. At around midnight, she developed an unrelenting fever. She never cried; she just slept. In the early morning hours, she took a bottle and began projectile vomiting and was then taken to the emergency room. Within a few hours, she developed pin-prick-sized spots on her forehead and face. Shortly after, Bella went into a coma.
The remainder of Bella’s short life was spent in a hospital on life support. In the days and weeks that followed, over 60% of her body had gangrene and became petrified. This skin had to be removed and replaced with skin from a cadaver. Most of her face fell off on her pillow, and her little arms and legs were to be amputated. However, she died before they were able to. Bella’s mother watched her beautiful baby rot away from this horrible disease. At a little over 5 1/2 months old, Bella died in the hospital. This beautiful baby girl suffered a horrific death.
Right now there is no vaccine to protect our little ones from contracting this disease; however, pending FDA approval, there soon will be.
The Team Leaders at Meningitis Angels are working hard to bring this vaccine to all of our little children.
You can help by visiting ProtectInfantsNow.org and signing the petition.
“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central and Meningitis Angels. This campaign was made possible in part through support provided by Novartis Vaccines. A small donation to a charity of my choice was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own.”
