Today marks the 10 -year anniversary of Evan Bozof’s death due to meningococcal meningitis. To celebrate his life and memory and to create awareness for a dangerous disease that can be prevented, a scholarship at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) was recently endowed in his name.

A 20-year old native of Marietta, Bozof was a pitcher on Georgia Southwestern’s baseball team. According to his now retired coach, Bill Haywood, Bozof was a student of the game. Having to work through an arm injury, he was willing to be patient, ask questions and learn.

“Evan came to GSW with an injury and knew he would not be able to pitch his first year, but was willing to listen and work to rehabilitate the injury,” said Haywood. “By the middle of his sophomore year he was gaining strength and developing into a college pitcher. He would have been one of our four starters his junior year.

“Evan’s intellect helped him understand weaknesses that hitters displayed because of the many questions he had in the bull pen and during games,” added Haywood. “We never had the opportunity to find out how good Evan would have been.”

Bozof was not simply a student of the game of baseball, he excelled in the classroom. William L. Tietjen, Ph.D, professor emeritus of biology at GSW, served as Bozof’s academic advisor. Tietjen recalls Bozof, a pre-med major, as a very bright student.

“I had Evan beginning as a freshman in major’s biology and served as his pre-med advisor,” said Tietjen. “Evan was a delight, the type of student that brings pleasure to a faculty member. He was hardworking, dedicated, intelligent, a pleasant individual and he got along well with fellow students.

“His grasp of principles was quick,” added Tietjen. “My expectation for a successful admission into medical school was high.”

On the cusp of a great future, Bozof’s life was cut short by a disease few knew anything about. Meningococcal meningitis, though hard to pronounce, has harmful effects that are very clear. Unfortunately, the symptoms for this disease are murky. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), early symptoms resemble those of the flu: high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, confusion, vomiting, exhaustion and/or a development of a dark purple rash.

For Evan Bozof, it started with a severe migraine headache and nausea. He had never experienced one before, but when he called his parents on March 25, 1998, they weren’t exceedingly alarmed. Migraines run in their family.

“By dinner time, Evan was still feeling awful,” said Lynn Bozof, his mother. “We told him to get one of his friends to take him to the emergency room. We thought that at least he could get something for his nausea.”

The hospital recommended that Bozof stay overnight to get plenty of rest. By 7 a.m. the next day, Bozof was not feeling any better. In fact, he was hardly well enough to speak to his mother on the phone; the nurse had to hold the receiver up to his ear. As a result, his parents decided it was time to take him home to recover in his own bed from what the hospital referred to as a “little virus.” Before they had time to leave Marietta, Bozof’s parents were notified that their son’s condition was worse than originally thought.

“My husband and I were making arrangements to meet back at our house when I received a phone call just after arriving at work,” said Lynn Bozof. “I was told that Evan had meningococcal meningitis and was in critical condition. When you get a phone call like this, your mind can’t even absorb what you’re being told.”

The CDC says that persons with meningococcal disease can be seriously ill 12-24 hours after symptoms start. Adolescents and young adults, especially college students, are most at-risk. Unfortunately for Evan Bozof, this much time or longer had passed. As a result, he would never fully recover. He battled the disease for 26 days, longer than most, but he died on April 20, 1998. He was 20 years old.

Following their son’s death, the Bozofs became aware of a vaccine for the disease, a vaccine that would have saved their son’s life. To prevent such tragedy from taking place in other families, they have been instrumental in spreading awareness about the disease and the vaccine. Lynn Bozof is one of the five founding directors of the not-for-profit National Meningitis Association (NMA).

“The disease can strike anyone, any place, any time,” said Lynn Bozof. “Just because it’s rare doesn’t mean that you can’t get it. There is no getting over the loss of a child.”