Next Time, Gallaudet University

I hate to say it, but learning that the death of Kellie Pagano was due to pneumococcal meningitis came as a bit of a relief. Why was it a relief? It was a relief because Gallaudet University finally came out and told exactly what it was that killed her.

When I first learned about her death, the only official information that I had about what might have killed her came in this paragraph in a letter from the Clerc Center:

Dr. Gerald Bell of Gallaudet University Student Health Services has been in contact with Kellie’s physician at the hospital and states, "Infections from Neisseria meningititus and Haemophilus influenzae have been excluded. Because of these results there is no need to screen the community members who came in contact with her."

That letter did not tell me what might have killed her. It only stated what did not. Earlier communication from Gallaudet/The Clerc Center also did not state what she was ill with, only that it was not anything contagious. As a result, how the rumors were flying in the deaf community! I had this guy instant messaging me who insisted that it was staph (MRSA) that killed her.

Indeed, that was my first thought too, because of the spread of MRSA. In fact, another blogger, the Deaf Sherlock, almost died from MRSA just a few months ago. In conversations with other people, I learned that much speculation was going on in the deaf community about the cause of her death. One person even insisted to me that Gallaudet University was hiding something.

It was not until late yesterday that an e-mail finally went out from Gallaudet's Peter J. Fine Student Health Center to the Gallaudet community and the parents of students attending Kendall Demonstration Elementary School that stated the actual cause was pneumococcal meningitis, and giving information on vaccination and the symptoms.

Next time, Gallaudet University, please immediately give the deaf community the full truth. If you do not know what the cause of death was, please say so. For example, state clearly that a diagnosis is not available yet. If you are unable to release the cause of death yet for legal reasons or the family does not want the cause known publicly, please say so. Not giving out the full truth immediately leads to all sorts of speculation, suspicion, and worry in the deaf community.