When Ashlee Dahlberg’s eight-year-old son Liam came home from school one afternoon complaining of a mild headache, it didn’t raise immediate concern. Like most parents, she assumed it was something minor—maybe a bit of fatigue or the start of a cold. Nothing suggested it was anything serious. But by the next morning, their lives had changed forever.
Liam became unresponsive overnight. In a panic, Ashlee and her husband rushed him to the hospital, where doctors delivered a devastating diagnosis: Liam was suffering from a rare and aggressive bacterial infection called Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib. Though the name sounds similar to the flu, Hib is far more dangerous. It had already invaded his brain and spinal cord before treatment could begin.
“They discovered how much bacteria was covering his brain and spinal cord,” Ashlee later shared. “There was nothing they could do.”
Despite Liam being fully vaccinated, doctors believe he came into contact with an unvaccinated child—highlighting a growing issue as vaccine hesitancy spreads. Ashlee had followed every recommendation, yet one single exposure proved fatal. Hib is highly contagious and can be carried without symptoms, making exposure nearly impossible to detect.
“Most people who get it die within 24 hours,” she said. “And I wouldn’t wish this pain on my worst enemy.”
Before the Hib vaccine was introduced in the 1980s, the illness was one of the most feared among pediatricians. It can cause meningitis, a dangerous inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that often leads to death or permanent disabilities. Liam’s infection advanced so rapidly that by the time scans were done, it was already too late. The damage was irreversible.
“To lay there beside him as they took him off life support… I felt his little heartbeat just fade away,” Ashlee recalled through tears.
In her unimaginable grief, Ashlee chose to speak out. She didn’t want attention. She wanted to prevent another family from enduring the same agony. Her message was raw, filled with guilt and sorrow: “I feel like I failed my child because I couldn’t protect him from everything.” But her actions have made her voice one of warning and hope.
The Hib vaccine is approximately 95% effective—but it only protects those who receive it. That leaves infants, immunocompromised children, and those still completing their vaccine schedule vulnerable if exposed to unvaccinated individuals. Dr. Eric Yancy, a veteran pediatrician, stressed the danger bluntly: “If Hib didn’t kill a child quickly, it often left them with permanent complications.”
A GoFundMe campaign launched in Liam’s memory raised over $54,000 and painted a picture of a bright, joyful child who brought light to every room he entered. In a heart-wrenching video shared by Ashlee, Liam is seen in his hospital bed, barely conscious, his voice fading.
Now, Ashlee’s plea is simple but urgent: “Please. Vaccinate your children. I don’t want any other parent to go through this pain.”
Her voice is soft but powerful—echoing the heartbreak of a mother who lost her son in a matter of hours, and the warning that this tragedy was preventable. Liam’s story is a reminder of how quickly life can be stolen, and how important it is to protect the most vulnerable among us.