Advocate Profile, Bea Rosalez

As a junior in high school, Bea Rosalez’s son, Lucas, was an active, respectful young man who loved snowboarding, running cross country and spending time with his friends.

One afternoon in the early summer of 2007, Lucas wasn’t feeling very well and thought he was coming down with the flu. Within hours, Lucas’ condition worsened and he became disoriented and confused, his breathing became incredibly rapid, and he began developing a small purple rash behind his ear. Once at the hospital, Lucas was diagnosed with meningococcemia, a form of meningococcal disease that poisons the blood system, and died only 12 hours after his first symptoms appeared. It was not until after Lucas’ death that Bea learned there was a vaccine available that could have potentially saved her son’s life.