A Dallas baby’s death inspires giving — one book at a time

MeningitisAngels, says:

This is a beautiful story of love.

I am the mother of an only child, Ryan, who died from of meningococcal meningitis and the founder and executive director of a national organization, Meningitis Angels, www.meningitis-angels.org.

Too many infants, teens, kids and young adults are left debilitated or die from this vaccine preventable disease.

What is meningitis? Meningitis is a dangerous and sometimes fatal inflammation of the brain and/or spinal cord that can leave survivors with serious life-long physical problems such as, organ failure, blindness, deafness, loss of limbs, severe seizures, brain damage and other disabilities. You should also understand meningococcemia and sepsis.

Signs and Symptoms Do you know the early signs of meningitis and blood poisoning which could improve detection of the disease and save lives? Unrelenting fever, leg pain, cold hands and feet and abnormal skin color can develop within (12 hours) after infection long before the more classic signs of the illness such as a rash, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and impaired consciousness, debilitation or death. Anyone can get meningitis especially infants, children and teens.

What parents and students should know: According to ACIP/CDC children ages (11) years through college freshmen should be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis. The current vaccines are approved for ages (2) years and older. However be informed, there are (5) sero-groups of the disease, all sero-groups are not covered. However the most common in the United States among adolescents and college students is sero-group C and Y, which are.

Infants and toddlers should be vaccinated against pneumococcal and HIB meningitis. Those children in daycare and those of American Indian,Eskimo and African American heritage are at a higher risk for some forms of meningitis.

There are no vaccines to prevent viral meningitis. . Frankie Milley, Meningitis Angels, Founder/National Director Meningitis Angels (Base) Texas

gailbailey, says:

I am so very sorry to read about the death of your baby girl. Just try to remember, she is in heaven and out of her pain. We lost our 20-year old son, Eddy, to this horrific disease. Our lives are never the same without Eddy, but we try to remember he lives in our heart forever. In addition, we try to tell every parent we know about the vaccine for this disease, so that their family never has to go through this loss. Eddy loved books too, and what a beautiful thing you are doing!!! God bless you and your angel is watching over you. Gail Bailey, Eddy's mom

williamx, says:

My wife and I would like to thank everyone for their well wishes. We would like to point out that Abby died from a non-vaccine strain of pneumococcal meningitis. Abby received all four of her Prevnar shots, which provide protection against 7 of the 91 strains of the Steptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. For more information, please visit our blog at http://willandmarykearney.blogspot.com/. Thank you. Will and Mary Kearney.

hawnsally7, says:

It is truly amazing at how much support this book drive has had. Words cannot explain how grateful my family is for all of your continued support. This has certainly been a tough journey. I have however heard that when you go through something like this, it is good to get yourself involved in a good project or something that will keep you busy. My family has dealt with a great amount of sadness the past 7 months, but we are ecstatic about the arrival of the new baby sometime in February. It will bring back so much joy that was lost during this time. Merry christmas to all of you and thank you again for helping this cause! xo- sally ( will's cousin).

williamx, says:

Hi Scott,

Thank you so much for your support. We are so happy to have received so many books. As far as the variety of the collection, we are needing some more books that would appeal to older kids, such as short novels, or more books in Spanish. Thank you again.

Will and Mary Kearney.

pamnwoody, says:

Thank you Rebecca. You always write about people and things that touch our hearts. God Bless You!!! This story made me cry. I will pass it on to all of my friends. Keep up the good work, we love you.

MUSAorg, says:

The Meningitis Foundation of America (MFA), a national organization, would like the public and media to know that information is available regarding the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of meningitis. MFA was founded by parents whose children were affected by meningitis. In addition to supporting vaccines and other means of preventing meningitis, the MFA provides information to educate the public and medical professionals so that the early diagnosis, treatment and, most important, prevention of meningitis, will save lives. Meningitis is a dangerous and sometimes fatal inflammation of the brain and/or spinal cord that can leave survivors with serious life-long physical problems such as deafness, brain damage and other disabilities, meningitis can sometimes result in loss of limbs. MFA would like to be considered as a news resource for the disease. For further information, visit the MFA website at www.musa.org.

MFA is proud to announce the new C.I.S.S. Container Identification Scratch System When we participate in sporting events or mingle at social gatherings it is possible to lose track of our water bottles and/or beverage cans, especially those served in containers that are very similar or identical to a container from which you are drinking. This carries the risk of transmitting an illness, such as meningitis or the common cold or flu. The Container Identification Scratch System, or C.I.S.S., is a fun way to make sure you always know your drink from others. Use it at sporting events or at a family gatherings and reduce the waste from forgotten drinks. Simply scratch your number from the C.I.S.S. label and identify your drink. For more information please contact Bob Gold at Ciss.bob@gmail.com and www.musa.org

Thank you,

Meningitis Foundation of America P O Box 83602 Phoenix, AZ 85071 480-270-2652 www.musa.org