The National Meningitis Association celebrates its 10 year anniversary. Much has been accomplished this past decade, but there is still work to be done to ensure all pre-teens and teens are protected against meningococcal disease.
Read MoreWatch this clip of Jamie helping to raise awareness about meningitis on NBC Houston.
If at first you succeed to some extent, keep pushing the envelope. Not a quote that can be attributed directly, but these words define the strength, persistence and resolve of former Dallas resident, Jamie Schanbaum.
On Nov. 12, 2008, Schanbaum woke up at a friend’s home, feeling more than not right. “I went home and couldn’t stop feeling cold and nauseous,” said the former Temple Shalom member. “By the time my sister took me to the hospital I couldn’t even stand on my own.” Schanbaum was diagnosed with Meningococcal Septicemia, a diagnosis that would change the course of her life.
Among the things 22-year old Jamie Schanbaum could not have anticipated three years ago was standing two inches taller, winning a national Paralympic gold medal in cycling and reveling in the Texas Legislature’s passage of two bills in her honor. Those gains, however, came after significant losses — most noticeably of both legs below the knee and much of each finger, the result of a bout with meningococcal septicemia in her sophomore year at the University of Texas.
Among the things 22-year old Jamie Schanbaum has now that she could not have anticipated three years ago are 2 extra inches in height when she stands, a gold medal from the USA Cycling Paralympic Road National Championships and two bills passed by the Texas Legislature in her honor. These gains came after significant losses — most noticeably both legs below the knee and most of each finger, the result of a bout with meningococcal septicemia during her sophomore year at the University of Texas.
