“Feel I have failed my Child”

Ashlee is now channeling her grief into a mission: urging parents to make sure their children are fully vaccinated against Hib and similar illnesses.

“There’s no words that can describe that pain,” she said. “I feel I have failed my child because I could not protect him from everything that would cause harm.”

According to pediatrician Dr. Eric Yancy, Hib was “absolutely devastating” before the vaccine was introduced in 1985.

“If it didn’t kill the children within a very short period of time, it left many of them with significant complications,” he said.

While the Hib vaccine is around 95% effective, it only protects those who receive it — meaning that unvaccinated individuals can still spread the bacteria.