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 Ethan Desabrais, an otherwise healthy two-month-old London baby, died this week from the H1N1 flu. His parents say they didn't realize the threat the virus posed and want those eligible to get vaccinated. |
Carla Desabrais had just finished breastfeeding her two-month-old son early Monday when she realized something was wrong.
She could see his blue lips, even in the dark room.
After a frantic 911 call, the London woman and her husband jumped in their car and raced to the hospital, honking and flashing their headlights to get vehicles out of the way.
Twenty minutes later, as they sat anxiously in a hospital hallway waiting for the doctor's news, the Desabrais' worst fears were confirmed -- their baby boy, Ethan, had died.
"Every day is a haze. It's really foggy. Words can't express the feelings that we feel, the emotions that are up and down," Desabrais said yesterday, hours after the funeral for her baby boy.
Her son, Ethan Bailey Desabrais, is the first baby in Ontario to die of H1N1.
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Yesterday, Desabrais and her husband, Billy, spoke out about their loss for the first time.
Two other area residents, both in their 70s, also died over the weekend -- the region's first H1N1 deaths.
Carla and her husband said they didn't realize the urgency of getting the H1N1 shots, even though their family was in a high-risk group because of the infant.
The couple is now urging everyone who can to get the shot.
"If I'd known that we should have gotten it, we would have gotten it right away," said Carla.
Both parents and two older children -- one age 9, the other 18 months -- had mild flu symptoms before last weekend.
By Sunday evening, little Ethan had a cough and was slightly congested.
Desabrais thought she'd take him to see his pediatrician the next morning.
"We all had symptoms but nothing extreme," she said.
"Our children are home with us most of the time unless we go grocery shopping or on family outings. They're mostly home and with the two of us," Desabrais said.
Everyone in the family would have qualified for the H1N1 shot because Ethan was under six months.
By yesterday, both adults and both children had their flu shots.
"I want to suggest to other parents of infants under six months to go and get the vaccine. Even if you don't want to, for your child's life and safety, go get the shot. I'd rather have taken the shot and still have my little boy with me today," Carla Desabrais said.
The family lives in Limberlost, a public housing complex in London's northwest.
A flu clinic at Limberlost, for those considered most vulnerable to H1N1, was held Wednesday. More than 70 people were vaccinated as word quickly spread about Ethan's cause of death. The clinic was organized before the community learned how Ethan died.
At first, the family was told he'd died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), they said. Later, their doctor confirmed it was the new flu strain.
"We didn't really understand how bad (H1N1) could be," said Billy Desabrais. "I didn't think that it would kill one of my children."
Ethan was a quiet, happy baby, Carla Desabrais said.
"If he was fussy, he either wanted attention or he wanted to be fed. Other than that, he was just content," she said.
"Sometimes he'd wake up and I didn't even know it. I'd come back in, and he's playing with his hands, making his little cooing noises."
Added her husband: "He was very quiet and he always had a smile. You could hold him or set him down. He was always happy."
The couple is trying to cope the best they can for their other children, Carla Desabrais said.
"What gets me through is my faith in God and having my other two children. They brighten my day. Ethan is in my heart and he's missed, but to see (my other two kids') smiles and their love and their happiness, that carries on their little brother's love."
kate.dubinski@sunmedia.ca