Advocate Profile, Gail Bailey

Gail’s son, Eddy, was a junior in college when he tragically lost his life to meningococcal disease. Eddy was an ambitious student double majoring in Finance and Economics with a plan to pursue a career in finance. He had gone away for the weekend and returned feeling tired and feverish. Despite not feeling well, he attended classes and went to sleep early that night. However, when Eddy woke up the next morning he was having trouble breathing and asked his roommates to call 911. Sadly, Eddy passed away only one hour later.

“I thought that I had done all that I could to protect my children while they were away from home, but I did not know about meningococcal disease or the availability of the vaccine,” said Gail. “By raising awareness of meningococcal disease and prevention, my hope is that no other family has to have the same experiences with this disease as my family.”