Up Close: One shot could have saved her son

12:30 PM CDT on Wednesday, October 5, 2005

By Janice Williamson / 11 News

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Even if your school-age child is current on vaccinations, there may be one very important inoculation remaining. It is for a specific type of meningitis, and it could prevent maiming or even death in children.

Frankie Milley never expected to take this journey. It is the journey of a mother losing her son when he was only 18 years old.

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Frankie Milley

"He was our only child. He was our everything," she says.

Perhaps even sadder is the fact that Ryan Milley's death could have been prevented.

"How sad is that you know? That's just crazy you know? Not in the greatest country in the world we should have to bury our children to something that could be prevented by a vaccine that's just beyond me," Milley says.

Meningococcal meningitis literally took her son's life in a matter of hours.

"He got sick on Father's Day evening and he was gone in 14 hours," she says.

Frankie Milley survived the grief by going to work. Her job is to educate parents and teens about the dangers of bacterial meningitis.

"I could either curl up in a little ball and die with him, which was pretty much what I wanted to do for a long time, or I could get busy and turn my grief into something positive."

Her Web sites provide information and support for families around the world. It's how she met David Schattel.

When David Schattell got meningococcal meningitis at the age of 10, mass vaccination was only recommended in case of an outbreak.

"They said I wasn't going to make it and if I made it, I was going to have brain damage lost eye sight hearing and all four of my extremities," he says.

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David Schattel lost a hand and both legs to meningococcal meningitis.

The 15-year-old has learned to live with one hand and two prosthetic legs. He considers himself lucky.

"Most people who catch this disease don't survive, and I'm a survivor," Schattell says.

A new vaccine for the prevention of bacterial meningitis could mean fewer kids will have to battle the devastating disease.

Menactra was just recently recommended as a standard vaccination for kids as young as 11.

You may think your child has a bad case of the flu and they have beginning signs of meningitis instead.

Pediatricians at Texas Children's Hospital are educating parents about the new vaccine.

"Your immune system responds better to it. We think you'll have immunity or protection for a much longer time," says pediatrician Dr. Julie Boom.

The serum offers protection against four strains of meningococcal disease, which account for about two-thirds of all cases in adolescents.

The demand for Menactra is so high that some pediatricians are still waiting for a supply of the vaccine.

The new vaccine does not protect against Type B meningococcal meningitis. That's the strain in about one-third of the cases in adolescents.

Frankie Milley started a group called The Vaccinators. Their mission is to promote all vaccines in hopes that fewer children will get sick and die.

"Most of the angels that cross my screen are under 17, under 18. They never make it to college," Milley says.

Milley served on the Centers For Disease Control Committee that made the recommendation to routinely offer Menactra to younger children instead of just college age kids.

"That was one of those bitter sweet things. It was like this one is for you, Ryan," she says.

In death, her son has created a legacy for life.

The new vaccine does not protect against Type B meningococcal meningitis. That's the strain in about one-third of the cases in adolescents.