Grieving Mother Urges Vaccination After Son’s Sudden Death from Hib
When 8-year-old Liam Dahlberg came home complaining of a headache, his mother Ashlee thought it was a routine illness. By morning, Liam was nearly unresponsive. Rushed to the hospital, he was diagnosed with Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) — a rare, fast-acting bacterial infection that had spread to his brain and spinal cord.
“They discovered the amount of bacteria covering his brain,” Ashlee told WTHR. “There was nothing they could do.”
Despite being fully vaccinated, Liam likely contracted Hib from someone who wasn’t. His mother had done everything right — but one exposure was enough. Hib, unrelated to the flu despite its name, can cause severe meningitis in children. Before vaccines, it was one of the most feared pediatric infections.
Liam’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Within 24 hours, doctors removed him from life support. “To lay there with him… I could feel his little heartbeat just fade away,” Ashlee said.
Her grief became a mission. “I feel I have failed my child,” she said, though she hadn’t. Her message is a plea to other parents: vaccinate your children.
Hib is 95% preventable through vaccination — but unvaccinated individuals can carry and spread it unknowingly, endangering others.
Dr. Eric Yancy, a veteran pediatrician, warned, “If it didn’t kill, it left lifelong damage.”