East Islip Mother Who Lost Daughter To Meningitis Starts Foundation to Spread Awareness
EAST ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island mother is happy that the NYS Senate and Assembly passed a bill requiring seventh and 12th graders to receive the meningococcal vaccine, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reports.
The heartbreaking story began when Patti Wukovits' daughter Kimberly Coffey, 17, died from bacterial meningitis in 2012 -- just days before her senior prom. She was even buried in her prom dress.
East Islip Mother Who Lost Daughter To Meningitis Starts Foundation to Spread Awareness
Her mother then began the Kimberly Coffey Foundation to spread awareness of the disease. Now, the NYS Senate and Assembly passed a bill that would require seventh and 12th graders to received the vaccine -- with a booster shot for 12th graders.
If the governor signs the measure into law, students would be required to receive the vaccine beginning September 2016.
Wukovits says the disease first appears to be the flu, but many victims died within 24 hours. Her daughter, Coffey, died nine days after becoming sick.
"Within hours she was fighting for her life in the ICU, she went into complete multi-organ failure, she went into cardiac arrest, they were able to resuscitate her, ultimately by the 9th day it was determined that she was brain dead, and we had to take her off life support," Wukovits said.
