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 (NC)-It
started out
as a typical
summer day
for Keaton
Grassie, as
he set out
to play with
his friends.
When he
started to
feel under
the weather
a few hours
later, he
didn't
realize how
significant
this day
would
become.
After
returning
home, and
telling his
mother that
he did not
feel well,
Keaton laid
down to
rest. When
his mother
checked on
him, she
discovered
he was
running a
very high
fever.
"I knew that
wasn't
normal, so
we went to
the
emergency
room," says
Katie
Grassie,
Keaton's
mom. "At the
hospital, he
was treated
for flu-like
symptoms and
we were sent
home."
By evening,
Keaton's
fever had
come down
and he felt
better.
However,
later that
night, he
woke up
repeatedly
acting
strangely
and
complaining
of leg pain.
Mrs. Grassie
thought it
was just
aches and
pains from
the flu -
but then
Keaton
started
hallucinating
and
complaining
of sore
legs. Soon
afterwards,
his
fingernails
turned blue,
and purple
splotches
were
appearing on
his legs.
When the
Grassies
rushed
Keaton back
to the
hospital,
Keaton kept
saying,
"take off my
shoes,
they're too
tight."
But he
wasn't
wearing any
shoes, says
Mrs. Grassie.
"I kept
wondering
what was
going on."
Later that
evening, the
Grassies
received the
devastating
news that
the symptoms
that Keaton
experienced
that day
were in fact
signs of
meningococcal
disease. "At
the
hospital,
they told us
they would
do
everything
they could
for Keaton -
that's when
I realized
my son might
die," says
Mrs. Grassie.
Meningococcal
disease - a
rapid, life
threatening
disease
Meningococcal
disease is a
rare but
serious
bacterial
infection
that strikes
approximately
300 people
in Canada
every year,
and can
result in
meningitis.
Children
under age
five, young
adults aged
16 to 24 and
those over
55 are most
commonly
affected,
and about 10
per cent of
those who
contract the
disease will
die. Of
those who
survive, up
to
one-in-five
suffer
permanent
disabilities
such as
hearing
loss,
neurological
damage and
limb
amputations.
The early
stages of
meningococcal
disease can
often be
mistaken for
common viral
illnesses
like the
flu, but it
progresses
very rapidly
and can kill
an otherwise
healthy
young person
in 48 hours
or less.
Five strains
of
meningococcal
disease , A,
B, C, Y, and
W-135,
account for
almost all
cases in
Canada. Four
of these
strains, A,
C, Y, and
W-135 can be
prevented
through
immunization.
There is
currently no
vaccine to
protect
against
strain B.
Most current
childhood
immunization
programs
only
vaccinate
against the
C strain.
However,
certain
regions in
Canada have
also seen an
increasing
proportion
of other
strains - in
fact, Keaton
was affected
by strain Y.
Fortunately,
a new
vaccine
called
Menactra is
now
available in
Canada that
provides
children and
teens with
protection
against all
four
vaccine-preventable
strains of
this
devastating
disease.
Keaton Today
Keaton was
fortunate to
not suffer
any brain
damage - one
of the
possible
devastating
long-term
effects of
meningococcal
disease.
Although he
needed skin
grafts, his
arms and
hands were
spared.
Unfortunately,
both of
Keaton's
lower legs
had to be
amputated;
however, two
years later,
thanks to
prosthetics,
he is able
to walk
again.
"Before this
happened, I
wasn't
really aware
of
meningococcal
disease or
that there
were
different
strains of
the
disease,"
says Mrs.
Grassie.
"Parents
need to be
aware that
children can
be protected
against all
four strains
of this
serious
disease.
Having
experienced
it
firsthand, I
would
encourage
them to
speak with
their doctor
about
meningococcal
disease and
available
vaccines,
because this
is a
terrible
disease that
can affect
anyone,
anywhere
with tragic
consequences."
Credit:
www.newscanada.com
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