Victims share their stories, say new mandate could save lives

Jamie Schanbaum went to sleep one Wednesday evening in November 2008 thinking she had the flu. The next day, the University of Texas sophomore couldn't walk.

Schanbaum had unknowingly contracted meningococcal disease (meningitis), which landed her in the hospital and eventually led to the amputation of her fingers and lower legs. She was in intensive care for three months and in the hospital for seven months.

"I thought it was just a normal sickness, and then it hit too hard, too fast," Schanbaum said. "I knew something was wrong, but it was too late for me to be protected."

Now, in the wake of a new state-mandated vaccination requirement, Schanbaum is spreading the message about how important it is for all students to protect themselves against meningitis.

"The fact that it did happen [to me], and now we're here to pursue this bill that we have and get every college kid vaccinated is a true joy," she said in a news conference at El Centro College last Friday.

Bacterial meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. In Schanbaum's case, it also infected her blood, causing meningococcal sepricemia.

Bacterial meningitis is a serious disease that is easily spread by direct contact or droplets of respiratory secretions such as coughing, sneezing and kissing.

According to The Immunization Partnership, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to eliminate vaccine preventable diseases, there have been 539 reported cases of bacterial meningitis in Texas since 2002, resulting in 54 deaths.

The disease strikes 2,000 to 3,000 Americans each year and has similar symptoms to the flu: fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting and mental awareness changes. It can progress rapidly through the body, sometimes leading to death within 24-48 hours.

Those who survive deal with severe health problems and permanent disabilities such as brain damage, kidney failure, hearing loss, blindness and mental disabilities.

Schanbaum was one of the lucky ones who survived the infectious disease, though it left scars that will affect her for the rest of her life.

"Jamie went from a perfectly healthy child to the next day ending up in the hospital," said Jamie's mother, Patsy Schanbaum. "I'm fortunate that my child survived."

The disease spread rapidly over her body, causing her organs to fail, and her circulation to slow. After months in the hospital, Schanbaum's body began to cooperate again. Despite the improvement, the disease had already damaged her hands and legs, leaving doctors with no choice but to amputate her fingers and legs.

While Schanbaum later learned how to walk again with prosthetics, some victims never recover. Approximately 10-12 percent of those infected with the disease don't survive.

Nicolis Williams became one of those victims in February 2011.  While studying at Texas A&M, Williams was not required to get vaccinated because he wasn't living on campus. He contracted meningitis, which spread so rapidly that he died just a few days after being admitted to the hospital.

"When a child dies, a part of you dies with that child, and my life has forever changed because of my son's death," said Nicolis' father, Greg Williams, who also spoke at the news conference.

Patsy Schanbaum testified before the Texas legislature in 2009 and successfully convinced lawmakers to pass the Jamie Schanbaum Act. It required all students living on campus at a Texas university to receive the meningitis vaccination.

Williams' death has further raised awareness about the disease and how easily it can be contracted. His parents lobbied the 2011 Texas legislature to pass the Jamie Schanbaum and Nicolis Williams Act, which goes into effect Jan. 1.

The revised law states that every Texas college student under 30 years of age must be vaccinated, whether living on or off campus.

While the vaccination can cost as much as $150 locally, Greg Williams said it's a small price to pay.

"The thing that hurts the most is knowing the fact that it could all have been prevented," he said.