Advocate Profile, Emily Quinlan

Emily was a college student at the University of Illinois when she contracted meningococcal disease. During a movie night with friends, she began to feel feverish, with a temperature of over 104 degrees. Her friends urged her to go to the doctor, but she decided she wanted to sleep and see how she felt in the morning. Emily woke up and began vomiting, prompting her to visit the student health center right away. The doctor noticed that Emily had a purplish rash and immediately sent her to the hospital.

She spent a total of two weeks in the hospital and over a month at home recovering. Emily feels fortunate that she was eventually able to return to college after a full recovery.