The mother of a 16-year-old boy who died just hours after he contracted a deadly strain of meningococcal disease has recalled his heartbreaking final moments.
Levi Syer, a Year 10 student at St Francis Xavier College in Beaconsfield, came home complaining about sore muscles on September 23.
He developed gastro-like symptoms, nausea and a lack of appetite, which prompted his mother, Norliah Syer-Peterson, to book a GP appointment for the following day.
The 51-year-old was awoken at 1.30am when she heard a loud bang from the bathroom where Levi was vomiting. His condition had worsened.
‘The sign for us to ring triple-zero was when he became delirious. He didn’t know what he was saying,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘He was just super uncomfortable, and he’s going, “Oh, what’s going on?”. I was absolutely terrified, I’ve never seen him that sick in my life,’ she said.
‘He said, “Mama, Mama, Mama” and they were the first three words he ever said to me when he was a baby.
‘And then he said, “Am I going to die?” And of course, we’re all like “No, no, no”.’
Levi Syer (pictured with his mum) died just 24 hours after he started to experience symptoms of meningococcal disease – a potentially deadly bacterial infection
Levi (pictured, left, with his brother Zac) was an active, healthy teenager before he died
Levi was rushed to Monash Children’s Hospital where nearly 60 doctors and specialists treated him over six hours in the intensive care unit.
Ms Syer-Peterson said purple ‘blotches’ appeared on her son’s face and body before he was briefly intubated to drain fluid from his lungs.
Levi’s terrified family were then told his heart was shutting down, with doctors performing CPR on the teenager for up to 90 minutes.
He died from sepsis caused by the deadly bacterial infection meningococcal Type B, less than 24 hours after he first began experiencing symptoms.
His mother described her son as compassionate, fun-loving and caring.
‘At the funeral on Friday, I had multiple kids come up to me and go, “I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Levi actually helped me get a job”,’ she said.
Levi loved going to the beach, paddle boarding and playing basketball with his team, who wore black armbands to honour him at a game on the weekend.
The ‘scary part’, his family says, is not knowing where he caught the infection.
The family still doesn’t know how the 16-year-old caught the deadly bacterial infection
Levi’s mum Norliah Syer-Peterson has called for the vaccine for the B strain to be made free across Australia (the pair are pictured in happier times)
Just months before his death, the 16-year-old had received his immunisation for Meningococcal ACWY at school.
But the vaccine didn’t cover the deadliest strain, meningococcal B.
Queensland, WA, South Australia and the Northern Territory offer free meningococcal B vaccines for kids and teens – but Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT and Tasmania do not.
‘It’s just nonsensical. We have seven states and territories. Why is there inconsistency? Why are some governments taking a stance but not ours?’ Ms Syer-Peterson said.
She has channeled her grief into a Change.org campaign which calls on the federal and Victorian health departments to introduce a free meningococcal B vaccine.
It has been backed by The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), with Victorian Chair Dr Anita Muñoz urging her government to act.
‘Young Levi Syer died less than a day after he fell ill – this is an infection that must be taken seriously,’ she said.
‘Meningococcal B kills 5 to 10 per cent of patients and leaves 10 to 20 per cent of those who survive with brain damage, hearing loss or a learning disability.
Levi (pictured, centre left) has been remembered by his family as a caring and spiritual boy
‘If we don’t boost vaccination rates, more lives will be at risk, including young people like Levi with their whole life ahead of them.
‘By providing the meningococcal B vaccine free of charge for at-risk groups we can save lives across Victoria.’
A Department of Health spokesperson told Daily Mail that the inclusion of a vaccine on the federal program relied on a recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
‘To date, the PBAC has not received an application from pharmaceutical companies seeking expanded eligibility for meningococcal B vaccine,’ they said.
‘The Chief Health Officer monitors the prevalence of meningococcal cases in Victoria, which informs their independent health advice on vaccination settings.
‘The Commonwealth’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee does not currently recommend a meningococcal B vaccine for the broader community.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Victoria’s health departments for further comment.