Victims of Vaccine-Preventable Disease
Vaccine-preventable diseases are a very real threat to children who are not properly protected. Each year children do get sick, and some of them die, from illnesses such as influenza (flu), pertussis and meningitis. Parents who have lost children to these devastating, avoidable diseases share their stories.
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Maggie Jacks
Maggie could not be vaccinated against measles because she was a child fighting lymphoblastic leukemia (blood cancer). She was immunocompromised and although fully immunized was unable to be immunized further until after her treatments ended. Read her story as written by Dr. Jacks (Papa Bear) as they deal with both her and her brother Eli being exposed to measles during a time when Maggie is most suseptible to the disease. More...
Landon Carter Dube
On January 15, 2010, five-week old Landon Carter Dube went in to his doctor's office for a check-up. He had been mildly spitting up his formula and seemed to be fussy when he went to sleep at night. Thirteen days later Pertussis would take his young life. More...
Callie Van Tornhout
Craig and Katie Van Tornhout wanted nothing more than a younger sibling for their son, Cole. Callie was born on Christmas Eve 2009. Five weeks later she developed a dry cough that continually got worse. While at the pediatricians office she stopped breathing and was rushed to the hospital. While in the pediatrics ICU, at 1:12am on January 30, 2010 she perished due to respiratory failure. Tests came back positive for pertussis. More...
Luke Duvall
Luke Duvall, a healthy, athletic 15-year-old, was exhausted on the evening of October 2, 2009 but geared up and played in his high school football game anyway. The next day he awoke feeling worse, and within four days was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. What followed was an ordeal that included being medevaced to Arkansas Children's Hospital, put on a ventilator, and being put into an induced coma. More...
Julieanna Metcalf
15-month old Julieanna Metcalf did not wake up from her daily nap on time. Running a temperature and not able to hold her head up in the bathtub, Julieanna was rushed to the hospital, where doctors suspected a particularly severe case of influenza. After intravenous fluids did not quell her symptoms, the doctor admitted her for an overnight stay. They did not yet know that she was fighting for her life with meningitis. They putting Julieanna on an antibiotic that also happened to work for meningitis, a fateful decision that would inevitably save Julieanna's life . More...
Ryan Wayne Milley
Ryan Milley was 18 years old when he developed a fever and earache on Father's Day. During the early morning hours, Ryan entered his parent's room. He was weak, and in the dim light his mother noticed a rash on his stomach and could literally see blood vessels rupturing all over his body. After 25 years in the medical profession, Frankie Milley knew that her son had meningitis. Ryan died at 10:53 a.m., June 22, 1998, from Meningococcemia. More...
Breanne Palmer
During the evening of December 20, 2003, 15-month-old Breanne Palmer developed a slight fever and began to show symptoms similar to her brother who had recently been diagnosed with influenza. After three days that included being put on a special life-support machine the flu took her young life. More...
Gabrielle "Brie" Romaguera
Brie was born on January 13, 2003, weighing only 5 pounds and 12 ounces. She was perfectly healthy until early one Saturday morning, February 8th, when she began to have a severe cough. Her parents' suspected respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and their pediatrician told them to take Brie to the ER. Thinking she only had a cold she left the hospital with a prescription and was taken home. Pertussis was the diagnosis that was missed until it was too late. On March 6th at just 52 days ole she lost her battle to the disease. More...
Brady R. Alcaide
Brady was a healthy and happy baby born on November 20, 2011 and weighing in at 8 lb 6 oz. On January 9, 2012 Brady started coming down with what his parents assumed was a cold. When his fever spiked to 104 they took him to the ER. He was sent back home with instructions to keep an eye on him. By January 16th he was admitted to ICU and 12 days later lost the battle with pertussis. More...
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Email us at .
For more stories about the victims of vaccine-preventable disease, please visit:
The Texas Children's Hospital Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story Updated Edition.
Shot By Shot - Stories of vaccine-preventable diseases.