Advocate Profile, Peggy LaPorte

Peggy’s daughter, Jennifer, was a 24-year-old woman who had her whole life ahead of her. She had a good job and was going to school full time at a community college. On Monday, March 7, 2005, Jennifer came down with a bad headache. A few hours later, she started vomiting and had a fever of 103.4. That night Jennifer collapsed on the bathroom floor and Peggy rushed her to the hospital. By the next morning, Jennifer’s lips turned blue and a purple rash covered her body. She was placed on a ventilator, but when her condition worsened, Jennifer was transported to another hospital. At first, she seemed to show improvement, however, she began to have difficulty breathing, and her liver and kidneys continued to fail. It wasn’t until after Jennifer’s death that Peggy learned vaccination can prevent meningococcal disease.

“I didn’t know about this disease, none of us did,” said Peggy. “This could have been prevented.”