“Just a little sunbeam, very sweet”: Flu vaccine

Nichole Lang-Veru, a fourth-grader at Dale Mabry Elementary School in Tampa, Florida, died Dec. 27 after she became ill. An autopsy confirmed her death was flu-related, the Medical Examiner said. Doctors said Lang-Veru's death should serve as a warning to parents because the girl seemed to be healthy. "She was somewhat shy, very quiet, very respectful," said an adult classroom volunteer. "Just a little sunbeam, very sweet."

This isn’t a story about medical error, but since I have a daughter, it strikes close to home.

Advice to parents: Get your family vaccinated to protect them from the flu—it’s not too late.

Read another story of how parents can prevent tragedies, or read the newspaper story about Nichole by Abbie VanSickle or the story in Florida Today.