{"id":416021,"date":"2022-03-14T20:38:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T17:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/honouring-kai-a-life-cut-short-by-meningitis-b\/"},"modified":"2022-03-14T20:38:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T17:38:10","slug":"honouring-kai-a-life-cut-short-by-meningitis-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/honouring-kai-a-life-cut-short-by-meningitis-b\/","title":{"rendered":"#Honouring Kai: A life cut short by meningitis B"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3df614bd2f6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3df614bd2f6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/honouring-kai-a-life-cut-short-by-meningitis-b\/#%E2%80%9CHonouring_Kai_A_life_cut_short_by_meningitis_B%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Honouring Kai: A life cut short by meningitis B&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/honouring-kai-a-life-cut-short-by-meningitis-b\/#It_all_happened_so_fast\" >It all happened so fast<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/honouring-kai-a-life-cut-short-by-meningitis-b\/#Meningitis_B_is_not_part_of_Canadas_routine_vaccination_program\" >Meningitis B is not part of Canada\u2019s routine vaccination program<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/honouring-kai-a-life-cut-short-by-meningitis-b\/#You_cant_act_on_what_you_dont_know\" >You can\u2019t act on what you don\u2019t know<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHonouring_Kai_A_life_cut_short_by_meningitis_B%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Honouring Kai: A life cut short by meningitis B&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Honouring Kai: A Life Cut Short by Meningitis B\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VF3WHR9A8iI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In the spring of 2021, Kai Matthews was 19 years old and full of life. A star athlete and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> dynamo, Kai was well-loved by all in the tight-knit Halifax-area community of Upper Tantallon. In 2019, he had earned a spot at the Canada <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a>s, representing Nova Scotia in freestyle snowboarding. As indomitable as Kai was on the field of competition, he was also kind, loving, and imbued with a quiet and generous confidence in all arenas of life. It was his warmth, humility, and dedication that made him so dear to his friends, his family, his girlfriend Paige, and his community as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKai loved life,\u201d says his mother Kari. \u201cHe was an all-in kind of guy. You name it and he\u2019d be there to do it with love and h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>iness. Not a day would go by that we didn\u2019t get at least a hug or an \u2018I love you\u2019 from him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Graduating high school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kai went on to pursue kinesiology at Acadia University. After completing his first year, he came back to Upper Tantallon for the summer, secured a job at the local boat shop, and began to take his first steps into adulthood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKai was really starting to enjoy the things that make up an adult life,\u201d says his father Norrie. \u201cHe would have coffee with me in the morning before he went off to his full day of work at the boat shop or we\u2019d have a beer on Friday after a long week of work. We loved being together as a family and just enjoying the little moments.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1233895\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1233895 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Kai_COP_highres.jpeg\" alt=\"kai snowboarding\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kai Matthews shown competing in the 2018 Freestyle Nationals championship at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta. Photo: Norrie Matthews.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"It_all_happened_so_fast\"><\/span><strong>It all happened so fast<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On May 30, a lazy spring Sunday, Kai awoke with a headache. Unworried, he took some Tylenol. By that evening, however, he had spiked a fever over 105, with chills and pains throughout his body. A visit to the ER didn\u2019t uncover the cause of his illness, and Kai was sent back home.<\/p>\n<p>Over the course of the night, Kai\u2019s condition worsened. He became so weak, so nauseous, and so wracked by lower back pain that, despite his unparalleled fitness, he became unable to walk. Paramedics were called to the home and, eventually, when a dramatic rash was spotted on Kai\u2019s neck and chest, he was admitted to the ICU and treated with antibiotics.<\/p>\n<p>He had developed invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) caused by Neisseria meningitidis group B bacteria, which is also known as meningitis B. By the next morning, the swelling in his brain had erased any hope of recovery. And on June 1, Kai was removed from life support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were so confused when they mentioned the word meningitis to us,\u201d says Norrie. \u201cWe\u2019d had Kai vaccinated against meningitis. We were completely blindsided.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1233983\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1233983 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/matthews-family-141.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kai Matthews\u2019 parents, Kari and Norrie, sit surrounded by Kai\u2019s possessions at their home in Upper Tantallon, near Halifax. Photo by Rachael Shrum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meningitis_B_is_not_part_of_Canadas_routine_vaccination_program\"><\/span><strong>Meningitis B is not part of Canada\u2019s routine vaccination program<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is the name for a range of diseases caused by N. meningitidis bacteria, which can include meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord) and sepsis (blood poisoning). Five groups of meningococcal bacteria, A, B, C, Y, and W135 are responsible for the majority of IMD in Canada, with the B group alone accounting for over 60 percent of cases between 2012 and 2016.<\/p>\n<p>The quadrivalent vaccine Kai received helps prevent IMD caused by the A, C, Y, and W135 groups. Quadrivalent vaccines are routinely administered to school-age children in most Canadian jurisdictions. However, meningitis B vaccines are not provided by routine vaccination programs in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a number of vaccines in Canada that are authorized,\u201d says Dr. Joanne Langley, Senior Medical Advisor to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=781677&amp;s=781675\">Meningitis Foundation Canada<\/a> and a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the IWK Health Centre and Dalhousie University in Halifax. \u201cMany are funded and provided in public health programs, but not all vaccines are. For people to get the unfunded vaccines, they need to know about them, they need to talk to their health care provider about them, and they need to be able to afford them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those aged 15 to 24 are at elevated risk for IMD because of their lifestyle, such as attending university, where due to the close contact the infection may easily spread. \u201cIt was first noticed in military barracks that there would be outbreaks of IMD because you have all these youth coming in from different communities and living in close quarters,\u201d says Dr. Langley. \u201cA similar thing is thought to happen when kids go off to university.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1233894\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1233894 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/joanne-langley-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Joanne Langley, Senior Medical Advisor to Meningitis Foundation Canada, at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. Photo: Rachael Shrum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You_cant_act_on_what_you_dont_know\"><\/span><strong>You can\u2019t act on what you don\u2019t know<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the months since Kai\u2019s passing, Norrie, Kari, and their daughter Vea (Kai\u2019s sister) have turned their grieving process into a mission of advocacy and education. They want every parent to know that the routinely-given quadrivalent vaccines don\u2019t protect against the B group. They do this through awareness efforts with Meningitis Foundation Canada and their grassroots <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=781679&amp;s=781675\">B for Kai<\/a> initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo have lost Kai to meningitis is unbearable,\u201d says Norrie. \u201cThe only way we can see to make something positive come from this is to make more people aware of meningitis B so they can talk to their doctor about it and educate themselves. You can\u2019t act on what you don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will never understand why this happened to Kai, but it does help our grief a little bit to know that people are making themselves more aware now. Even though it\u2019s so difficult to tell this story over and over again, this message needs to get out there,\u201d Norrie adds.<\/p>\n<p>Their advocacy has already changed the course of community health in Upper Tantallon, where demand for the meningitis B vaccine following the initial sharing of their story was so profound that it caused a local shortage. But Norrie, Kari, and Vea won\u2019t rest until the meningitis immunization conversation has shifted on a national level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the same way that Kai was all in on everything he did, we\u2019re putting ourselves all in on this,\u201d says Kari.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1233892\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1233892 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/STILLS-PICKS.00_02_24_21.Still004.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Norrie, Vea, and Kari continue to honour Kai\u2019s memory through their advocacy and awareness efforts. Photo submitted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Immunization helps reduce your teen\u2019s risk of getting infected with the meningococcal bacteria that causes invasive meningococcal disease. Vaccines do not protect 100% of all those who are vaccinated. Meningococcal vaccines are not indicated to treat IMD or reduce its complications or reduce the risk of death.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Be proactive in speaking with your health care provider about meningitis B to help protect your <\/strong><strong>teen from infection. Visit <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=781677&amp;s=781675\"><strong>Meningitis Foundation Canada<\/strong><\/a> <strong>for more information and resources. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>An educational initiative supported by Pfizer Canada.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"under-article-widget-nl\">\n<p class=\"under-article-widget-title\">Looking for more?<\/p>\n<p class=\"under-article-widget-description\">Get the best of <em>Maclean&#8217;s<\/em> sent straight to your inbox. 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Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/sponsored\/honouring-kai-meningitis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Honouring Kai: A life cut short by meningitis B&#8221; In the spring of 2021, Kai Matthews was 19 years old and full of life. A star athlete and social dynamo, Kai was well-loved by all in the tight-knit Halifax-area community of Upper Tantallon. In 2019, he had earned a spot at the Canada Games, representing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":416022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/STILLS-PICKS.00_02_24_21.Still004-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}