Mother Pegy Lowery knew her 12-year-old daughter Piper was sick with the flu, but like most parents, she assumed it would pass.
But sadly the illness was too much for Piper who collapsed in her mother’s arms on the way to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, Washington.
Three hours later, on the 16th of January, Piper passed away.
Now Pegy is speaking to media outlets to educate parents about the hidden dangers the flu can have.
For us, it’s been really hard,” Pegy said to CBS. “All I have now is pictures, an urn sitting on the mantle – and you know, she was just my best buddy.”
Despite seeking medical advice, and visiting a doctor, no one could predict the effect the flu was going to have on Piper. Astonishingly, the H1N1 flu attacked her kidneys.
The attack was so bad that Piper had suffered renal failure, unbeknownst to Pegy or Piper’s doctors.
Pegy is pleading with parents to insist their children get the flu vaccine.
“I want my daughter’s legacy to live on forever,” Pegy said. “That’s my job now – to be her legacy maker.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014, the flu vaccine reduced the risk of flu in children by 74 percent.
“The chances are that you have a better fighting chance to win the battle,” Pegy continued.
“There are so many stigmas about the flu shot that people are either not educated or there’s this fear factor that people put into them,” she stated.
“But H1N1, the flu, is very deadly. I want to spread this information so people can read it. It really does save lives.”
