WATCH: A Terrebonne mother of five is on a mission to make a new vaccine for Meningitis B available to all Quebecers. Anne Leclair reports.
TERREBONNE, Que. — Just one day after Montérégie public health officials confirmed the death of a 16-year-old boy from Meningitis Type B, a mother, whose son survived the infection, is pressuring the province to take action.
“They came to ask me if I wanted my son to live,” said Marie-Ève Gagnon, who still remembers the day doctors at the Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal told her that her son had contracted Meningitis Type B.
Benjamin was only four months old when he contracted the deadly bacteria. Today he is fifteen and he’s had close to 50 surgeries, including amputations.
“We’re lucky.”
He also sustained severe brain damage from his Meningitis B infection.
“He really has the brain of a one-year-old, but he can still do lots of things. We’re lucky,” said Gagnon who feels fortunate her son survived the ordeal despite his disabilities.
READ MORE: 16-year-old in Quebec dies after contracting Meningitis Type B
But because of the huge burden of Benjamin’s health issues, the mother of five wants other parents to know the real risks.
“If you survive, some children will be dead, some will have neurological problems, some children will have their limbs cut off because of this type of infection overwhelms the immune system,” said Dr. John Yaremko.
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Meningitis Type B kills an estimated seven Quebecers each year. But one in three patients who survive are left with serious health issues.
Australian photographer Anne Geddes shed light on the issue earlier this year with a series of portraits depicting survivors and their families.
“I hope that when people view this series they’re not shocked because it’s not meant to shock,” said Geddes who wanted to raise awareness about vaccination against all strains of meningitis in collection called Protecting Our Tomorrows.
Fifteen-year-old Benjamin is one of 25 people around the world who participated in the project, and it’s a moment his mother will cherish forever.
Gagnon started a foundation in her son’s name to help other families cope with meningitis, and was recently honoured at the National Assembly for her work.
“If they were to tell me again today that one of my sons or daughters has meningitis, I don’t think I could handle it,” said Gagnon.
It breaks her heart to hear that a South Shore family has just lost their 16-year-old son to the same disease, especially now that a vaccine is available in Quebec.
“One case is one case too many.”
However, the vaccine is not covered by Medicare, and Gagnon has made it her mission to change that.
Earlier this week, the minister responsible for public health in Quebec told Global News there was no need for a mass-vaccination campaign, and that Quebecers with weakened immune systems already have access to the vaccine free of charge.
“We’re not able to vaccinate everybody…we vaccinate when it’s needed and when there are a lot of cases,” said Lucie Charlebois.
“It’s not needed.”
“I’m disappointed, I can’t understand that in 2014, we have the tools but aren’t using them,” said Gagnon.
She plans to meet with Charlebois later this month to try to convince the provincial government that covering the cost of the vaccine now is much cheaper than paying the price to treat survivors like Benjamin.
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