Family of Meningococcal disease victim speaks out

A deadly bacteria that's taken the lives of three Green Country children in the last three weeks. Meningococcal disease is so aggressive, it takes many parents by surprise. <br><br>KOTV's Tami

Saturday, January 6th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A deadly bacteria that's taken the lives of three Green Country children in the last three weeks. Meningococcal disease is so aggressive, it takes many parents by surprise.

KOTV's Tami Marler talks with one family devastated by the disease. They're speaking out, hoping to help others.

Bath time was little Ethan Hoffman's favorite time, and last Thursday night's bath was about like all the others, except for one thing. John Hoffman, grieving Father: "I noticed a couple spots, and he's got little allergies and things like that." So John and Tabitha Hoffman wrote it off. That's why they're speaking out.

John Hoffman: "If Thursday night I would have known anything like this existed, um, I would have just immediately taken him to the doctor." 15 month old Ethan was the season's first Tulsan to fall victim to Meningococcal disease.

His parents want others to be aware of the symptoms. A rash that first appears like pin pricks under the skin, and a temperature that doesn't respond to the usual remedies. "We just monitored that, it got up to 103.7. We called the doctors and the nurses and they said well, just give 'em Tylenol or Motrin - see if that will break the fever."

By Saturday morning, it was obvious something was seriously wrong with Ethan. "She yelled from his bedroom, 'John get up, he's blue." That's when they rushed Ethan to Southcrest Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with Meningococcal disease. From there, he was life-flighted to Saint Francis Hospital's pediatric ICU. Doctors labored over his little body for three hours. But it was too late.

"It just attacks so fast it's almost like an explosion inside the body is the best way to describe it. It was really about an 18-hour period from when he was noticeably sick to the point to when he was gone." "All Thursday, all Friday day, just going through the house happy, smiling just happy as could be."

Now the Hoffmans are hoping to spare other parents the pain and emptiness they feel. 15-month-old Ethan Hoffman was laid to rest Thursday.

St. Francis Hospital issued a warning about Meningococcal Disease, not to alarm parents, but to draw attention to the symptoms. Again, if your child has purplish spots under the skin that don't go away when you apply pressure call your doctor immediately.