Christina Fry, Rick Cerett, and Chalise Jackson (Being Held)
Mother, Grandfather, and Twin Sister of Infant Marques Jackson, Who Died at 6 Months of Age from Influenza-Related Complications
December 2003 was a time of particular joy for the Jackson family—their nearly 6-month-old twins, Marques Maurice, Jr. and Chalise, were about to celebrate their first Christmas. Until Marques came down with what the family thought was a cold.
Rick Cerett, the twin's grandfather, remembers it this way: “Marques was healthy, but he got a fever and runny nose on Christmas Eve. The doctor said it was influenza. By Christmas Day, he was having trouble breathing and nothing seemed to help.”
Within three days, Marques was dead from complications from influenza.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 2003-2004 influenza season was particularly harmful to children.1 There were 153 influenza-related child deaths. Most were children under age 5.1 Sadly, in Marques' case, he and his sister were just shy of their 6-month birthdays—the earliest a child can be vaccinated for influenza.
The tragedy has made Rick and Christina crusaders for yearly influenza vaccinations for parents and caretakers. “You think of influenza killing older people, not babies,” he says. “But if you're around an infant, you need to get the vaccine to protect them and, once your kids are old enough, they need to be vaccinated too.”
Today, every adult in their family gets the vaccine, as well as three grandchildren. “I've been lucky enough to have three grandchildren call me Pappy, and for that I'm grateful. But I'll never forget the grandson who never got the chance.”