ARLINGTON, Va. (PRWEB)
January 07, 2022

Flu rates are rising across the country, and not enough Americans are getting their flu shots. Parents who have lost their children to this vaccine-preventable disease wish they could have better protected their family with this simple action.

“I did not realize healthy people could die from the flu until it happened to my daughter,” says Charity Freeman, a mom of three from Miami, Oklahoma. “We are sharing her story to encourage others to get their flu vaccine.”

Freeman lost her 20-year-old daughter, Kayauna, to the flu last year. At the same time, her son, Josiah, was admitted to intensive care on the day of his sister’s funeral, and was hospitalized for two months. Although Freeman and her husband were both vaccinated, their children were not.

To help other families avoid the devastation hers experienced, Freeman partnered with Families Fighting Flu, a nonprofit advocacy organization that educates about flu vaccination, prevention, and treatment. Through the organization, she and other member families share their stories, underscoring the severity of the flu and motivating others to get vaccinated. The hope is that no other family has to experience the devastation the flu can cause.

Preliminary data from the CDC show that only 48% of adults 18 and older have received a flu vaccine this year, meaning that over half the U.S. population is not taking necessary precautions against this deadly disease. Flu vaccination rates for children and pregnant people are particularly low among Black and Hispanic individuals.

Freeman and Families Fighting Flu urge that even though flu season has already begun, there is still time for you and your family members to get vaccinated.

“I would never want anyone else to go through what my family has experienced,” Freeman says. “I think about Kayauna every day, and almost two years later, Josiah has a chronic cough and pain.”

To raise awareness about the tragedy influenza can cause and encourage people to get their flu shots, Families Fighting Flu partnered with Mediaplanet for its “Future of Personal Health” campaign, which was distributed in copies of USA TODAY in December. Learn more about the Freeman family’s story and how flu vaccines save lives by reading Families Fighting Flu’s story online here: https://bit.ly/3FspLkY.

About Families Fighting Flu

For 18 years, Families Fighting Flu has advocated on behalf of loved ones who have died or suffered serious medical complications from influenza. The organization shares stories that educate about the seriousness of flu to honor grieving families and survivors. Through education and advocacy, Families Fighting Flu is dedicated to saving lives and reducing hospitalizations. By promoting vaccination, testing, and treatment, the organization is on a mission to protect all children, families and communities against influenza.

Press contact:

Shoshana Fishbein

sfishbein@familiesfightingflu.org

484-433-7878

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