Toxic Shock Syndrome From A Tampon Took The Life Of A Teenage Girl On A School Trip

Nov 06, 2018 by apost team

It's been a hard year for the family of Sara Manitoski who lost their daughter at just 16 years old in March 2017.

While on a trip to Vancouver Island with her school, her friends who had assumed she was still sleeping found her in bed when they returned from breakfast. Her alarm on her phone was still ringing and they realized that she wasn't moving and wasn't waking up no matter how hard they tried.

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The paramedics tried to revive her with CPR. Despite all efforts, she never woke up.

It's been almost a year since this happened and her family is just now getting answers as to what exactly caused the teenager's tragic death.

One of her tampons tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus and there were other indicators of toxic shock syndrome as well.

Island Health Medical Officer Dee Hoyano stated that prolonged tampon use puts people at higher risk of developing toxic shock syndrome. While the bacteria must already be present in order for the illness to occur, tampon use can increase the odds of developing it significantly.

Sara's sister Carli Manitoski wrote a heartfelt post on Facebook about the tragedy hoping to educate people about the disorder. She pleaded with women to become educated on the subject because while TSS is supposed to be rare, she has known 2 people who have contracted it.

One of those people survived while her sister tragically did not make it. What started with stomach cramps that Sara thought were associated with her period ended in her untimely passing that could have been avoided.

Sara Manitoski was a healthy young woman before toxic shock syndrome took her life. It's a disease that could strike anyone no matter what their status is.

Statistics show that Toxic Shock Syndrome affects 1 out of 100,000 people in the United States. While it may be rare, it's something that everyone needs to be aware of even if they don't use tampons.

Carli pleads to know what the symptoms of toxic shock syndrome are so they can be identified as early as possible so treatment can be started.

Beyond little inserts placed in the bottom of boxes of tampons, there really isn't that much education about the illness. The world needs to know the dangers of TSS and the importance of changing tampons frequently in order to prevent it. Sara Manitoski was an amazing young lady and while her friends and family are heartbroken by their loss, they hope that her death can help at least one person from losing their life.

Here are just a few of the symptoms to look out for:

It's important to seek medical attention if experiencing these symptoms. If you know anyone who might not know the dangers of toxic shock syndrome, the story of Sara Manitoski might save their life. Do you know anyone who has experienced it?

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!