Nicolis's Meningitis Story

Nicolis “Nico” Williams was a very active and outgoing 20-year-old college student at Texas A&M University. He awoke the morning of February 8, 2011 and complained of a very severe headache and high fever. Several hours later, Nico’s roommates reported he was incoherent and throwing up. They immediately called an ambulance and Nico was rushed to the nearest hospital.

Upon arrival, Nico was diagnosed with the very devastating and sometimes fatal condition of meningococcal disease, more commonly known as bacterial meningitis. Within minutes after being admitted into the emergency room, Nico’s conditioned deteriorated to the point of unconsciousness. He was treated very aggressively with antibiotics and steroids but unfortunately, the treatment was too late to reverse the damage caused by the disease.

Bacterial meningitis spread to Nico’s brain causing excessive swelling and he endured several brain aneurisms. Within a matter of a few hours, Nico went from being a very healthy and vibrant young man to having no brain activity. He died 3 days later.

Understandably, Nico’s parents were devastated by the sudden loss of their beloved son. They immediately sought to understand how such a preventable tragedy occurred. They discovered that only college students who lived in dorms were required to be vaccinated. Because Nico lived off campus, he wasn’t vaccinated and became a victim of this very horrific but very preventable disease.

Nico’s parents worked diligently with organizations like the Immunization Partnership, the J.A.M.I.E. Group and the 82nd Texas Legislature to modify the existing meningitis law by including all students and not just dorm residents. They were successful! On May 27, 2011, Governor Rick Perry signed into law the Jamie Schanbaumn and Nico Williams Act making Texas the first state in the country to require all first-time college students be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis.