Parents of tragic meningococcal victim Skylar Lawrence plead to make vaccine available to save other children from deadly disease

UPDATED: The parents of tragic toddler meningococcal victim, Skylar Lawrence, have made an impassioned plea to include a vaccination for the deadly disease in a government-funded program

Rhainer, Navaro and Skylar Lawrence in a family photo. Skylar tragically died from meningococcal disease last month.

EVERY evening little Rhainer and Navaro Lawrence go outside to gaze up at the stars and blow a kiss goodnight to their lost sister Skylar.

Their parents have told the children that Skylar is now a star looking down on them, after the almost three-year-old died in hospital last month.

She fell victim to the insidious B strain of the meningococcal bacterial infection.

Her family is now campaigning to raise awareness and include a vaccination for the deadly disease in a government-funded program.

“Skylar loved her twin sister and her brother. She kept them in line. She was the peacemaker,” mum Sally Lawrence told the NT News.

“Every night, before they go to bed, they go outside and blow Skylar a kiss and tell her they love her and miss her.”

Dad Ash Lawrence described his daughter, who died on October 15, as “bright and beautiful”.

“She always cuddled and kissed everyone. She lit up a room with her laugh,” he said.

Northern Territory Health Minister Natasha Fyles has met with the Lawrences and raised the issue of meningococcal vaccines at a recent meeting of state and territory health ministers in Canberra.

They received a briefing from the nation’s Chief Medical Officer about the lengthy process of adding a vaccine to the National Immunisation Program.

“We’re certainly listening to the experts, to the doctors ... to the story of the Lawrence family,” she told Mix 104.9.

“People need to understand the numbers. We have very low cases of meningococcal B. (But) any case is an absolute tragedy.

“There’s certainly been work undertaken around providing a (B strain) vaccine nationwide but it is a significant body of work.”

Ms Fyles said the meningococcal W strain was increasingly common and had been added to a four strain vaccine to be provided in the Territory, covering the A, C, Y and W strains.

“From December, all children instead of just getting C, will get the four meningococcal vaccination.”

Ms Fyles said the pharmaceutical company which made the B strain vaccine was running “a broader clinical research trial” and that evidence would be presented to federal authorities as part of the case to add it to the free national program.

Skylar Lawrence’s final day began at Katherine Gorge, where the family had been holidaying.

On the drive back to Darwin she became restless and skipped lunch.

At home, the 33-month-old’s temperature spiked and she began vomiting.

She also had increasingly worse bouts of diarrhoea.

Around 8.30pm three “bloody bruises” appeared on Skylar’s groin, bottom and neck.

“We were immediately alarmed when we noticed those,” Mrs Lawrence, 31, recalled.

“We rushed her to the (hospital). They took one look at her and rushed her straight through to the resuscitation room.”

Doctors moved to put Skylar in an induced coma but she was already too sick.

“Things turned for the worse around 10pm. By 11.30pm she was gone,” Mrs Lawrence said.

Mr Lawrence, 35, said Skylar’s symptoms were similar to gastro and developed swiftly.

“By the time the rash came up it was too late,” he said.

“It was just horrific to watch how evil this disease is and how quickly it took hold.”

All the Lawrence children had received the free vaccination against the meningococcal C strain, but their parents were unaware it would not protect them from other strains present in Australia.

The two most common strains are B and C.

The B vaccine has been available since 2014 but is not funded as part of the National Immunisation Program.

It costs about $125 per injection and four are needed between the ages of two and 12 months. Some of the cost can be recouped through private health insurance.

Mr and Mrs Lawrence have since immunised Rhainer, four-year-old Navaro and themselves, and are urging other families to do the same if they can afford it.

They are lobbying the Commonwealth to include the vaccine on the national program.

“Families need to know that the B strain vaccine is out there,” Mrs Lawrence said.

“When you take your kids to the immunisation clinic there’s no advice, no information that there’s another strain or vaccine.”

The disease has about a 10 per cent mortality rate.

Skylar’s parents have launched the “Share a ‘cino with Skylar” campaign on Facebook, asking cafes to offer free babycino drinks to families to raise awareness of the disease that took their daughter’s life.

“Skylar and her twin sister loved their babycinos. We’re hoping that cafes will take up the cause so families can spend time together and realise that they’re having one because Skylar passed away from this preventable disease,” Mrs Lawrence said.