Aaron Vehling

After spending Halloween weekend in Madison last year, freshman Adam Griggel had to have his friends drive down to pick him up.

He had developed flu-like symptoms and said his legs felt as though they were broken, so his friends took him to the hospital once they were back in Eau Claire. On Nov. 3, 2002 Griggel was diagnosed with spinal bacterial meningitis.

His parents in Sheboygan were called and told their son had an hour to live. Griggel, however, survived the illness, which has taken the lives of several other UW-Eau Claire students within the last year.

“(The doctors) had no idea what to do with me,” Griggel said. “Most people die (from the illness).”

Starting with the spring 2004 semester all students must be given information on meningitis and the vaccine.

On Oct. 16, Gov. Doyle signed into law the Meningitis Prevention Bill, authored by Rep. Rob Kreibich (R-Eau Claire) and Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center).

The law will ensure that each year college students receive information on meningococcal meningitis. Students also will be asked to confirm that they received the information and whether they have been given the vaccine, Kreibich said in an Oct. 15 press release.

“The idea is that through information given to people, they have the opportunity to make intelligent choices,” Schultz said. “The bottom line is to save lives.”

The bill was successful because the strategy of disseminating information has been proven to work by the military and because of student lobbying efforts.

Also, actions such as vaccinations will not be mandatory.

Meningitis is really very, very crushing, Schultz said.

“That’s what moved people to have an interest in this,” he said.

Now back at school after a year of recovery, Griggel said students recognize him from articles in The Spectator last year. Many, however, are unaware of the problems that result from meningococcal meningitis.

Cells in Griggel’s right leg died as a result of the toxins in his blood from meningitis and the formation of blood clots that often form as a result of the disease.

After 14 surgeries in an attempt to repair his leg, Griggel decided it would be easier to have a prosthetic leg that he could use rather than be confined to a wheelchair with his dead leg.

Griggel recommends students get the vaccine. He received the shot before attending Eau Claire last year, but the vaccine covers only four of the five strains of meningitis. Strain B is not covered.

Sophomore Ben Seume was Griggel’s roommate last year and took him to the hospital when he became ill.

A doctor told Seume that his friend would have died if he had not brought him to the hospital when he did.

“When the doctor told me that, I couldn’t believe it,” Seume said.

Like Griggel, Seume also received the vaccine before coming to school. Every student should get information on the disease, he said.

The meningitis vaccine is available at Student Health Services for $75.

Griggel said after his bout with meningitis he has learned to live one day at a time. He had to learn how to walk with a prosthetic leg and drive with his left foot.

“Everyone wonders why I’m still smiling,” he said. “I’ve had hard times, but it doesn’t help to cry. I can still do everything (I want to).”