Local Family & Jeff Gordon Raise Awareness for Pertussis VaccineCHARLOTTE, NC - A highly contagious disease that many of us thought was gone is actually on the rise. Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough, is a potentially fatal illness that poses the most danger to infants. Daryl and Felicia Dube from Lancaster, South Carolina, are sharing the story of their son Carter with the hope more people will get vaccinated against the illness.
Carter is the couple’s second son. Carter was born in December, 2009 and was perfectly healthy until he was five weeks old. At that time, Carter began running a high fever and he had trouble breathing. Carter’s parents took him to their local doctor who rushed him to the Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte for treatment.
In the nearly two weeks after he was taken top the hospital, Carter’s doctors performed surgery and administered several medicines, but the little baby boy wasn’t responding well to treatment. His parents then had to make a painful decision.
“We took out minister back there to pray over him, and as his parents we told him if he needed to go, if he was tired, then we would understand. He showed he was tired, and it was time to let him go,” said Felicia Dube.
It wasn’t until after Carter passed away that the family learned he had pertussis.
“I think the hardest thing for us to deal with is that he could have got it from one of us, and if we would have known about the Tdap vaccine, maybe we could have prevented it,” said Dube.
Felicia and her husband have now received the shot, and they urge other parents, grandparents, and people who spend time around children to do the same. They’re working with Jeff Gordon and his “Sounds of Pertussis” campaign to spread the message nationwide.
“We found out a few months ago that we’re expecting a new baby in the spring, and so our family knows that they have until April to get this vaccine,” she said.
For more information visit: www.soundsofpertussis.com
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