Jill Promoli, a Toronto-area mother and school trustee, felt a wave of nausea upon learning three children in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario had recently died from flu complications. She knows the profound, lifelong grief those families now face. In 2016, her own vibrant, two-year-old son, Jude, died from influenza B.
A Healthy Toddler's Sudden Loss
In the spring of 2016, an illness circulated through her daughter Isla's kindergarten class. Isla fell sick but recovered quickly. Soon after, Jude, a happy boy with tousled hair, developed a slight fever. He was playing and content when his mother put him and his twin brother, Thomas, down for their naps. Jude never woke up.
A coroner's report confirmed the cause: influenza B. The toddler was otherwise perfectly healthy. His death was a devastating blow that changed his family forever.
A Mother's Mission to Protect Others
Since the tragedy, Promoli has dedicated herself to sharing her family's story. Her goal is to make people understand the severe danger influenza can pose, even to healthy young children. "By talking about it, I hope 'I can save someone,'" she says.
The recent cluster of pediatric flu deaths in Eastern Ontario has devastated her. "I just feel sick for those families. It is something they are going to carry for all of their lives. We would give anything to have Jude back," Promoli shared. Her advice to the grieving families is simple yet profound: "One foot in front of the other and just hang on tight to each other."
An Unprecedented Flu Season and the Vital Call for Vaccination
Amid what the Ontario Medical Association calls an unprecedented and alarming early surge in flu cases, Promoli adds her voice to public health officials urging action.
She emphasizes a critical, yet often misunderstood, point: her children, including Jude, were vaccinated against the flu the year he died. Jude was part of a small minority, potentially due to his young age, who do not develop full immunity after vaccination.
"A small minority of people who have been vaccinated still experience the worst outcomes. They are the exception," she explains. "The majority do not end up with severe outcomes if they do get sick. And the more people who get vaccinated, the more walls we put up and the more people we can protect."
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health for the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, noted that while pediatric flu deaths are not unheard of, a cluster of three in a small geographic area in a short time "is very rare."
Health authorities across Ontario are now issuing strong recommendations for the public to get their flu shots as soon as possible, warning of a potentially long and severe flu season. Promoli's personal tragedy underscores this public health message with heartbreaking clarity.
