A family from Virginia are urging people to stay on top of vaccinations after the tragic death of their infant son. The 4-month-old baby boy died from meningitis.
A Family's Worse Nightmare
Killy Schultz died on June 30, 24 hours after he developed a rash and had a high fever. Killy was on his way home from daycare when this occurred. His mother, Alex, stated that Killy had just finished a bottle that afternoon. Alex also said she felt her son's body temperature was warm but she and her fiance, Gabriel Schultz, assumed Killy would cool off when they arrive home.
Alex and Gabriel gave their son Tylenol but it didn't help. The couple then took their son to the emergency room at St. Mary's Hospital.
After doctors ran several tests on the 4-month-old, Alex and Gabriel were informed that their son had contracted meningitis.
"The moment they said meningitis I knew there was a really strong possibility that we were going to lose him. They told us we were going to hit the window if he was going to make it or not but being he was only four months old he didn't really have an immune system to help us with that," Alex stated.
An Unexpected Tragedy
Alex continued that her son's heart rate dropped out of the blue and doctors immediately began performing CPR on him. After 10 minutes of CPR, Alex told the doctors to stop after realizing her son wasn't coming back.
Alex said that Killy was swollen and purple and she could barely recognize her son. However, Alex stated she and her fiance were proud of how hard their son fought. Alex and Gabriel are now urging people to get their vaccinations in order to prevent future tragedies from occurring.
Meningitis is described as an inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the spinal cord and brain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is recommended that preteens and teens at the age of 11 to 12 years old should receive a meningococcal conjugate vaccine.
The CDC states that children from 2 months old to 10 years old should receive the vaccination if they have HIV, have a damaged or removed spleen, and have a rare disorder. In the United States, meningitis is at an extremely low rate and has been declining since the 1990's due to the said vaccine.
