Advocate Profile, Samantha Bennett

Cindy Krejny’s daughter, Erin, was just days away from her 19th birthday when she lost her life to meningococcal disease. One afternoon, Erin began feeling sick and complained to her friends of numbness in her arms and legs and a stiff neck. The next day, Cindy received a phone call from her daughter’s friends saying Erin was at the hospital with the flu. Cindy and her husband Tom called the hospital and were told they should come immediately. The hospital was three hours away. By the time they arrived, Erin had died. Heartbroken and confused, the Krejny’s were told their daughter had a rare, serious bacterial infection called meningococcal disease. Most tragically, they learned too late that vaccination could have helped prevent the disease and save their daughter’s life.

“Meningococcal disease attacks so fast, is so deadly and is so dangerous,” said Cindy. “That’s why prevention through vaccination is so important.”