Kathy Huddleson

Kathy’s Story

One day, Kathy Huddleson’s daughter, Elizabeth, a junior at the University of Northern Iowa, felt sick with what she thought was the flu. Elizabeth decided to take a shower and noticed purple spots on her skin. A few minutes later, she began to feel extremely cold and had difficulty breathing. Concerned, her boyfriend, Nick, drove her to the hospital. Doctors performed a spinal tap, but did not find signs of meningococcal disease. They told Elizabeth to go home to rest. Later that night, Elizabeth’s condition worsened, and Nick brought her back to the emergency room, where he called her parents to alert them their daughter was seriously ill. The Huddlesons hurried to the hospital, but sadly were unable to see Elizabeth before she died. It wasn’t until after Elizabeth’s death that Kathy learned vaccination can prevent meningococcal disease.

“If I had known about the dangers of meningococcal disease, I would have had Elizabeth vaccinated. It is so important for parents to be educated about the risks and prevention of this very devastating disease.”

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