Meet Lucia

Born nearly three weeks early, healthy and full of life, Lucia Durrigan’s piercing blue eyes melted the hearts of her parents Megan and Sean each time they laid eyes on their beautiful bundle of joy. Once home, the family began acclimating to life as a team of three when things changed suddenly just two weeks in. It was April 30—a day neither Megan nor Sean will ever forget.

“Lucia refused to eat, which was unlike her, and she became very, very pale,” recalls Megan. “We were scared and brought her to the Hasbro Children’s Hospital emergency department at 4 in the morning.”

​Upon arrival, Lucia was immediately rushed in and nurses first took her vitals. All of the tiny child’s vitals looked good, but Lucia remained pale and appeared to be growing more uncomfortable with each passing minute. The ED doctor quickly ordered a spinal tap to rule out meningitis, and the results shocked Megan and Sean. Less than 20 minutes later, Lucia was diagnosed with Strep D, a strand of bacterial meningitis that is extremely rare in children. She was just two weeks old.
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Doctors acted fast, inserting a PIC line that would intravenously deliver antibiotics for the extended amount of time Lucia would need to recover. Her treatment also included the placement of a breathing tube and feeding tube, multiple MRIs, and three more spinal taps to measure her progress fighting the disease. On May 10, coincidentally Lucia’s actual due date, Megan and Sean were told their baby girl was meningitis-free. She would be discharged 17 days later after completing the necessary 28 days of antibiotic treatment.
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“Our daughter was able to beat a deadly, bacterial illness because of the miracle workers at Hasbro Children’s Hospital,” says Sean. “Dr. Meg Scheffler saved her life; words can’t express how thankful we are to her, the staff in the ED, in the PICU—everyone—we believe they are all Lucia’s guardian angels.”​
As Lucia prepares to celebrate her first birthday, she loves reading books, but not nearly as much as she loves playing with her two puppies, Murphy and Colt.
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“Dr. Scheffler said something to us the day Lucia arrived at the hospital, and that was, ‘It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,’” says Megan. “We live by that every day, thankful for each second and enjoy every milestone Lucia makes—our time at Hasbro Children’s Hospital painted a clear picture of just how lucky we are.
Photos courtesy of Hasbro Children's Hospital