Lori Buher
ASMP Advocate

My son, Carl, was a healthy, athletic freshman in high school when he almost lost his life to meningococcal disease. In 2003, Carl came home from a football game complaining that he didn’t feel well. Many of Carl’s teammates had been sick with the flu, so Carl assumed he had just caught the bug. The next day, he became disoriented and developed purple splotches all over his face and arms. He was rushed to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with serogroup B meningococcal disease. As a result of the infection, Carl had to undergo amputation of both of his feet and three of his fingers. He didn’t walk again for four years.

I was not aware of a vaccine or that adolescents are at increased risk for meningitis until Carl got sick. At that time, however, there was no vaccine available to prevent against serogroup B, the serogroup Carl had. I am happy that a vaccine covering serogroup B is now available in the U.S. I am dedicated to educating others about the importance of protecting their children against all strains of meningococcal disease.

Lori worked for decades at the forefront of meningitis prevention through her involvement with the National Meningitis Association (NMA). NMA closed in 2022, and Lori today continues her advocacy with the American Society for Meningitis Prevention.