The Lawson Mayfield Memorial Foundation partners with parents, educators, students, healthcare professionals, and community leaders dedicated to achieving and maintaining full immunization to protect Floridians from vaccine-preventable diseases. Through advocacy efforts focused on science-based immunization policies, we are shaping a future where vaccine-preventable diseases are eradicated. At 18-years-old, Lawson was a healthy, vibrant teenager with unlimited energy. Returning home from a two-week visit to Germany, Lawson complained of a dull headache. The following day, she was back at her full schedule, but later that evening, after Lawson became more sluggish, her parents suggested she see a doctor. The family arrived to the hospital around 9 p.m. Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday morning tests returned positive for meningitis. Lawson was immediately treated, but was unable to fight this horrendous disease. Lawson passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Her love of the outdoors inspired her family to create an annual fundraising event – Run for Lawson. The Run for Lawson is a 5K, 10K, and 1-mile fun run that takes place in Tallahassee, Florida each year. Proceeds from the events have supported the National Meningitis Association (NMA) and contributed to raising awareness about bacterial meningitis education and prevention on both a local and national level. We’ve recently included The Everhart Excellence Foundation (EFF) as an additional recipient of support.
