Hear Their Stories: Advocates Share Personal Experiences and Losses from Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

One morning, 5-year-old Alana woke up with a 99-degree fever.

Her dad, Zachary Yaksich, didn’t think much of it. Such temperature readings are quite common in childhood, and as the day progressed, his daughter’s flu-like symptoms seemingly did not. She finished the day eating pizza and ice cream with her brothers.

Last week, Yaksich fell quiet and fought back tears when recounting what happened next.

Alana’s 106-degree fever. A coma. Her death.

“It ripped the fabric of my life apart,” he said.

Yaksich was one of three patient advocates who joined public health experts at a recent Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill. Their experiences are important, personal reminders of the consequences for children and families when they’re not vaccinated or don’t have access.

Yaksich is president of Alana’s Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to influenza awareness, education and immunization. He expressed alarm about recent public health decisions that undermine objective data, including those from the overhauled Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

“Keep the politics out of the science,” Yaksich said. “Let the science speak for itself."

Francesca Testa and Casey Mahlon are also devoted to raising awareness with their stories.

Like Alana, they were fully healthy before they contracted bacterial meningitis as high school seniors – Testa a nationally ranked swimmer and Mahlon a co-captain on her tennis team.

Testa had planned to receive a meningitis vaccine before leaving for college. There wasn’t a shot available at the time for Mahlon’s strain.

Without protection, the disease sent both into comas. Testa overcame severe challenges while adjusting her athletic career. Mahlon struggled with long-term cognitive consequences from brain swelling and scarring.

“For me, it was a really life-changing experience,” Testa said. “I had to learn how to walk again. I wasn't able to swim for a D-I school. Basically, my whole life trajectory at that point had turned upside down in less than 24 hours but also my family's and also our community."

Said Mahlon: “The vaccine wasn’t available to me at the time. Now, it is. So now, I would urge everyone to get vaccinated for the A, C, W and Y strains and the serogroup B vaccine. It was really rough, guys. I wouldn’t mess with it, and I would make sure all of my loved ones are covered and protected with vaccines."

Advocates at the briefing expressed a desire to collaborate with policymakers to dispel misinformation surrounding safety and trust.

We need “clear and consistent messaging to help reduce hesitancy and fear,” Mahlon said, “helping humanize the patient experience beyond just the numbers.”

Click here to watch a recording of the Sept. 23 briefing.