Izack is cutting his braids for Vincent and Meningitis.

Talofa lava, my name is Izack. I am 13 years old. Two months ago our lives changed for ever when Vincent passed away of Meningitis.

Vincent was like a brother to me, he was only 17 years old. I want to raise funds to support meningitis awareness so no one else has to go through what we are going through.

I have been growing my braids for over 2 years and I am going to cut them off and donate the funds raised to the Meningitis Foundation to support the work they are doing.

Regarding Meningitis. Unfortunately the vaccinations that our kids received only offers protection for up to 5 years. Vincent had been vaccinated as a child however when he became ill, Meningitis was the last thing on his family's mind especially in this time of COVID and with the rise in Influenza. Vincent went to bed not feeling well but had none of the 'usual' symptoms we associate with Meningitis, sadly Vincent passed away in the early morning.

Please visit the Meningitis Foundation website for more information especially how symptoms can present.