Protect Infants Now – Infant Meningitis Awareness

There is nothing that gets me teared up faster than thoughts of something harming Aerissa. I do my best to take care of her and protect her from unnecessary harm. I know I can’t protect her from everything, but I’m okay with bumps and bruises… just not life threatening accidents or diseases. I’m fortunate to have a healthy baby girl who is growing up fast before my very eyes. But some parents… some have lost their children too early. Their stories wrench my heart.

Now, I realize some of you may choose not to vaccinate, but we do. As with any hot topic parenting choice, I just want people to make informed decisions that work for them. Even if I don’t agree, I know I won’t change your mind… so I’m not going to try. What I’m sharing here is information. I encourage all of you to do your own research and decide whether or not you want to support Protect Infants Now (PIN), Meningitis Angels and their mission.

The Meningitis Angels started after Frankie Milley lost her son, Ryan, at the age of 18 due to meningococcal meningitis. They are a nationwide nonprofit organization that helps provide support families affected by this deadly disease as well as educates others about the disease and prevention of it.

Some facts about Meningococcal Meningitis:

• It’s a disease that causes an infection of the membrane around the spinal cord.
• 1 in 7 of people who contract it die each year. Those who survive often suffer amputations, seizures, paralysis, organ damage, etc.
• It affects infants and teens. Teens and young adults have a vaccination already, but not infants.
• 1 in 16 infants who get infected will die.
• It is among the leading causes of preventable death in the US, 50-60% of cases are vaccine preventable.
• The CDC is trying to get the public’s opinion on recommending this vaccine for children under 2 years of age; the highest risk is in the first 7 months.
• My daughter has received all the recommended vaccinations. If I had known about this when she was born, I would have asked about it.

Now what?

If you support this vaccine, please sign the petition that will be presented to the CDC – I did.

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Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central andMeningitis Angels. This campaign was made possible in part through support provided by Novartis Vaccines. A small donation to a charity of my choice was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own. I repeat, I was not paid for this post.

Darcy Zalewski

Darcy is the founder of “Life With Darcy and Brian,” where she combines her love for education, board games, and crafting to create engaging learning experiences for kids. Her creative projects and writing have been featured in outlets like The Toy Insider, CafeMom, Mom.com, Parents.com, Country Living, and The Pioneer Woman.