UT Student, Meningitis Survivor Tells Her Story [Watch]
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After losing her legs, six fingers, and almost her life to bacterial meningitis in 2008, Jamie Schanbaum made an incredible comeback. Now she’s back again, telling her story in a scare-you-straight video from Texas Children’s Hospital.
Schanbaum was living in a North Campus apartment when she contracted the deadly disease. Doctors had to amputate her legs and six fingers to save her life. As Schanbaum recovered, she and her family lobbied to make the meningitis vaccine mandatory, an effort that paid off in 2009 with the passage of the Jamie Schanbaum Act. The law ensures that all on-campus students in Texas get the vaccine, and in 2011, another law passed that includes off-campus students as well.
Now Schanbaum has returned to her studies at UT. She also excels as a cyclist, winning gold at the USA Cycling Paralympic Road National Championships. Tragically, many other meningitis victims do not survive. The Texas Children’s video tells the story of Nicolis Williams, a Texas A&M student who died of the disease.
Despite the legal requirements, about 1,400-3,000 Americans still suffer from meningitis each year—so Schanbaum is still telling her story.
“If you don’t get the meningitis vaccine, you’re literally putting yourself at risk to die,” she urges in the video.
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pat white: A grandmother of Nine and a retired teacher of 41 years, I want to applaud Nate ...
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Julie Osterberg Sather: Vince DiNino came to Alexandria, MN to be our band director. I was blessed to le...
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Carl Schock: This legislation was needed. My suspicion is that many Texas Exes have consisten...
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Virginia: 76-37-5 !!!! Who cares How BEVO got the name.....UT will always have the fame. ...
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Rick Cherwitz: Predictable but sad! The Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education put...
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Going to College in Texas:
Visit: http://meningitis-angels.org/texasmeningitisvaccinerequirements.html
Meningitis survivor Helen Keller said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Meningitis does not stop at the dorm room door.
I am the mother of an only child, Ryan, who died from of meningococcal meningitis & founder/national executive director of Meningitis Angels. http://www.meningitis-angels.org .
Each year in this country infants, children, teens and young adults are left seriously debilitated from meningococcal disease. Some with the loss of limbs and their faces.
Some are left with severe organ damage, seizure disorder, brain damage, digestive disorders, anemia, blindness, deafness, and more. Worse,some die.
Some early signs of the disease are unrelenting fever, leg pain, cold hands & feet & abnormal skin color. These 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 and death.
The CDC recommends the meningococcal vaccine which protects against some of the bacteria that cause meningococcal disease such as meningitis or sepsis (bloodstream infections). This vaccine is recommended for all preteens ages 11 or 12. A booster shot is recommended for age 15/16 when disease risk is highest. Those students entering college who were vaccinated more than 3 years ago or have never received the meningitis shot are recommended to take it. Talk to your health care provider.
Meningitis Angels National Photo Contest (I Took the SHOT)
Visit: http://www.meningitis-angels.org/meningitis-angels-vaccination-poster-contest.html
Visit the AAP, Sound Advice on Vaccines: http://www.cispimmunize.org/fam/soundadvice.html
Help Stop this deadly disease. Educate and Vaccinate! Join our cause on face book cause at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/103719/35941843?m=6d54c0aa