Advocate Profile, Carl Buher

Carl was a freshman in high school when he came home from playing football complaining that he didn’t feel well. The next day, he had flu-like symptoms, including sleepiness, disorientation and nausea. By afternoon, his sister noticed purple splotches all over his face and arms. He was rushed to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with meningococcemia and taken to the local hospital. He was immediately airlifted to the Seattle Children’s Hospital. His heart stopped twice on the way on the way and a third time at the hospital. He was put into a drug-induced coma that lasted for three weeks. As a result of the infection, he had to undergo amputation of both of his feet and three of his fingers. It was four years before he could walk again.

Carl’s goal is to educate others about prevention and to make sure they know that the CDC currently recommends vaccines at age 11-12 and a booster at 16 to protect against serogroups A, C, W and Y and that there is now a vaccine available for serogroup B. Today, Carl is a civil engineer and lives with his wife in Seattle, WA.