Samantha Miller, 37, from Bathurst, NSW, is urging Australians to get vaccinated against the flu after the tragic loss of her 11-week-old son, Declan. His sudden passing, caused by bronchial pneumonia linked to H1N1 swine flu, has left an unfillable void in her life—and she is determined to prevent other families from experiencing the same pain.
“I came down ill, quite ill, so I ended up in hospital,” Samantha recalled in an interview with news.com.au. “Then we got a phone call saying he’d been brought into hospital not breathing, and we found out that he’d passed away.”
Declan had seemed perfectly healthy the day before. He had seen his pediatrician, showing no signs of serious illness beyond a mild runny nose. That evening, he was even photographed sleeping peacefully on his grandfather’s chest. By morning, everything had changed.
The cause of his death was later confirmed as complications from H1N1, a virus that Samantha unknowingly passed to him—possibly from something as simple as touching a shopping trolley.
Now, more than a decade later, Samantha still struggles with the loss of her son. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. I would not wish it on anybody … it’s been 13 years, and it hurts as if it was yesterday.”
Knowing what she does now about influenza and vaccinations, she believes Declan’s death could have been prevented. That’s why she is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of flu shots, especially for parents and caregivers.
“I know what it’s like to lose a child to influenza, and vaccination can help prevent other families from going through what we have been through,” she said.
She also emphasizes the strain that preventable hospitalizations place on the healthcare system, urging people to make the simple choice to protect themselves and others.
“Take ten minutes out of your life to get the vaccination,” she pleaded. “Why are some people pushing anti-vaccination when the numbers are there? They need to look at the data.”
Samantha hopes that by sharing her heartbreaking story, more Australians will choose to protect their loved ones—and that no other family will have to endure the unimaginable pain of losing a child to the flu.