Our Story

On Tuesday, September 17, 2019, I received the most unimaginable call from an LSU detective that forever changed my life.  The detective reported that my 18 year old daughter was found unresponsive in her dorm room.  That call sent me into a tornado of emotions.  I just knew the detective was calling the wrong mom. I wanted so desperately to believe this was a nightmare and I would be awakened shortly but in the coming days, I learned that my daughter had died from acute viral meningitis.  The cause of her death was a shock. How could this be? I remembered our last conversation and text messages where she complained of a headache and an upset stomach.  I told her to go to the nurses office and drink plenty of fluids.  She laughed as she often did and assured me she would go.  The next day she was gone.  

No one could believe it. Rocki was a swim instructor, life-guard, varsity softball catcher for her high school and community team. Her oldest sister wondered how could this be especially since she was a registered nurse and had spoken with Rocki the night before.   Family and friends questioned whether she received the “pre-college” vaccination and they questioned whether we knew she was “that” sick.  

What we knew was Rocki was vaccinated against meningitis in July - not thirty days before she left for college.  What we did not know was the vaccination Rocki received only protected her from the bacterial strand and not the viral strand! It felt like all of the air in the room had disappeared and a ton of bricks had fallen on my entire family.  We thought we’d prepared her for college.  We followed everything from vaccinations, medical exams to orientation.  How could this happen? Why weren't we informed of this missing yet critical piece of information?  Why was it a shock, not only to us, but our community, our family and even the medical professionals in our circle.  This critical information appeared hidden.  

It is for this very reason that the Pink Rocki Advocacy Foundation (PRAF) was created. One of the primary goals of PRAF is to ensure available information and resources get to those who need to know. The vision of PRAF is to save someone else from a SENSELESS death. 

“When you know better, you do better!” - Maya Angelou

—Lashawn Dennis

Mother and Founder, The Pink Rocki Advocacy Foundation