Advocate Profile, Terri Martin-Finethy

Terri Martin never suspected such a rare, yet potentially fatal, infection could strike her 21-year-old son Alan, an identical twin and talented musician. After being on the road for five weeks with his band, Alan went to the emergency room in Tallahassee with a fever, headache and chills. Alan was examined by a nurse and sent home with a suspected case of bronchitis. Later that evening, Alan returned to the E.R. with intense pain and a purple rash that was spreading quickly across his torso. Sadly, Alan died of meningococcal disease only hours after Terri arrived at the hospital. Although she had heard of the infection, Terri was not aware that it could have been potentially prevented through vaccination.