TRENDING

Celebs

Exclusive: Lucy Hale speaks out on a major danger facing teens

 
Meningococcal meningitis is one of the most serious illnesses a person can get, but the majority of teens are at risk—and they don't even know it. Though most teens get the first mengitis vaccination, almost as many never receive the recommended booster shot later on. When Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale heard about how many of her fans might not be aware of the disease, or how easy it is to protect themselves from it, she knew she had to use her voice to make a difference. 

She and her mom, a nurse, teamed up with the Voices of Meningitis organization and Boost the Volume program to spread awareness to teens and their parents through the best way they knew how: a country-wide a cappella competition. We didn't just talk to Lucy, though. We also chatted with Jaime Schanbaum, a meningitis survivor, and Sally Schoessler from the National Association of School Nurses to get the full scoop.

GL: Lucy, what makes this cause so important to you personally? 

Lucy: Voice for Meningitis brought me on board for our campaign called Boost the Volume. I've challenge teens across the U.S. to come up with a medley of songs that are about living your best life and spreading the awareness about how important the second vaccination is. I'm very aware of the people that support me and my fan base, and I know that it's primarily teens and parents who watch Pretty Little Liars with their kids. That’s who we’re trying to spread the message to, because those teens are the ones who are at higher risk for meningococcal meningitis. It's rare that I get to lend my voice to something that can help save a life, and this has really spoke to me. I’ve gotten to meet Jaime, who actually went through this disease and survived it which is very rare. It just became something that I quickly became passionate about, and we’re just trying to spread the word about this rare, deadly disease that's actually super preventable with the second vaccination.

GL: Sally, I know that most teens get the first vaccine; it’s just the second booster shot that they miss. Do you have any insight as to why the booster falls through the cracks? 

Sally: About 77.8% of students ages 11-12 get that first vaccine, but only 30% are getting the booster shot between ages 16 to 18. It’s very important to get the second dose, though, because the vaccine can wane over a five-year period. The National Association of School Nurses and Voices of Meningitis wanted to know why people were having issues with getting that second vaccine, so we did a survey, and found that health care providers recorded on average that only 15% of eligible patients or their parents asked about getting the vaccine. 38% of parents said that they didn’t even know that there was a booster vaccine and 30% of parents said that their health care provider didn’t mention the vaccine at one of their health care visits. We want families to have the knowledge so they can check with their doctors on how to make sure their children are protected. 

GL: Lucy, why did you decide on an a cappella competition to raise awareness? 

Lucy: Boost the Volume really got my attention because I love music and I believe in the power of music. And music is a very important aspect of teen’s lives. I can’t take credit for the idea, I can only lend my voice to it, but it was really fun. I got to judge some videos, pick the finalists and perform with them. The grand prize winner will actually be on a PSA with Jaime and I that airs in June. Music is always the way to go for me, and it will help to get the word out there. 

GL: You picked the competition finalists and you're awarding the grand prize to the winner. What's it like to see all of these kids come together for this message and use music for it? 

Lucy: First of all, I was just really excited because I was homeschooled for high school and I always believed that if I did go to high school I would be one of the girls that would be in the a cappella groups. I love Glee and Pitch Perfect; those sort of shows are very relevant right now which is why what we’re doing with Boost the Volume is so awesome. It was a really fun experience, and you can tell that the kids are really passionate about not only the music aspect of it, but also the message that we’re trying to get out there.

GL: Jamie, can you talk a little about your experience? 

Jaime: I was in college at the University of Texas in Austin when I fell ill with meningitis, which usually kills within 24 hours. I was admitted at hour 14, and wasn’t capable of walking anymore or keeping warm. The night before I was nauseous and vomiting and couldn’t hold anything in. I was also really dehydrated. I remember sweating a lot, while also being really cold. A lot of these things I think are like the flu, but really bad, and that’s why it’s imperative to get the vaccine because it’s so commonly misdiagnosed. It's easy for you or even a trained doctor or nurse to think, "Oh, you just have the flu, go home and rest." Luckily, I had a nurse that guessed that I had meningitis. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know if I would be here today. That’s why this disease is so dangerous and why it is so importantto make sure people are protected. In one night, a Wednesday night, I watched my limbs go from red rash, to purple, to black, to literally rotting for three months until they were amputated. I had both of my legs amputated below the knees, and all of my fingers. I had to go through the whole recovery process of learning how to walk, and I was only twenty. It's not something people should be doing at the age of twenty—you should be out flirting or going to college and having fun, but I was learning how to use prosthetics. If I'd had the vaccine, I never would've gonethrough that, so that's our job: to get that message out there. 

GL: What makes teens so susceptible to this disease versus adults? 

Sally: Well there is an increase risk because of what teens do everyday. It spreads by respiratory droplets, so, it’s going to be activities like sharing water bottles, sharing eating utensils, kissing—even just living in close quarters like at camp or in a dormitory. First year college students are at great risk, so this year we are trying to make parents and teens really aware that they need to get that booster at age 16 to 18 to protect them as they go into those college and young adult years. Even one case of meningitis is too many. 

GL: Lucy, did you and Jaime get the opportunity to talk to any students and see how it affected them hearing about the campaign? 

Lucy: Jaime's been working with Voices of Meningitis for a couple years now, and her story’s incredible and so inspiring. She’s talked to a lot of kids about it, but these visits are my first time. I think we have the ability to reach a lot of people with this. I think that we’re doing it in an interesting way, too. We’ve got Sally, who knows more about the disease than most, and then an actual survivor of meningococcal meningitis. I’m just excited to lend my voice and try to help. I think we can save some lives, so it feels pretty good. 

GL: Jamie, what does it mean to you to be able to come and talk to all of these students? 

Jamie: It definitely means a lot. My personal experience has taught me how important it is to make sure that everyone is protected, because there are so many different elements to teen health. When you're in high school, the first thing that you want to do is go have fun with your friends, but when you're out and about, you're in a higher risk scenario of actually catching this disease. I'm glad I'm able to bring in a reality check that, while we are having fun, it’s also important to make sure that we are protected. And I think that’s the message that I want to bring to everyone: make sure you get that vaccine. 

Did you already know about the second mengitis booster shot? What do you do to keep healthy? Tell us in the comments below.  

 

Photo credit to: Lucy Hale 

POSTED IN , ,

by Chelsea Duff | 2/1/2016
share