Hi everyone! I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Kelly Grant from The Globe and Mail to talk about Jude and the flu, and her article was published online on Saturday evening.. It will appear in the Health section of today’s paper (Monday, November 14th, 2016). I can’t thank Kelly enough for her kindness, compassion, and attention to detail. It was a pleasure to speak with her about what has happened and what we’re doing to work towards fewer families like ours.
I do want to address one point in the article because there’s a difference in information, and I’m a stickler for detail. We gave Kelly authorization to speak with our coroner directly about Jude’s autopsy. The article states, ‘The coroner’s report did not identify precisely what type of influenza B killed Jude.’ The day we received the call with the cause of death I asked Dr. Sim specifically if this strain was in last year’s shot, and he called me back after looking into it to confirm that it was. We have a paper copy of the report that I can’t read past the summary, but Craig has confirmed that the paper copy does not specify which B strain it was.
I work really hard to make sure that I’m using the most accurate information possible because I think it’s vital to have the facts right when we’re talking about people’s health decisions, so I apologize that there’s a discrepancy. I will follow up with our coroner to check in because I want to make sure I’m not saying anything that isn’t accurate. Regardless, Jude’s story continues to be a reminder of how important it is for all of us to do what we can to prevent the spread of flu – for ourselves, and for more vulnerable people around us, and I’m so grateful to Kelly Grant, the Globe and Mail, and everyone who has helped us tell his story. Thank you is not big enough to cover how much it means to know that Jude’s very short life might still have a positive impact on this world. But thank you. ♥