Meningitis

Meningitis in your words: José Eduardo Oliva Marín’s story

José, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, shares how his work and personal life collided when his daughter Rebeca was diagnosed with meningitis.

2 October 2026
2 min read
by Meningitis Research Foundation
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<article> <h1> <span>Meningitis in your words: José Eduardo Oliva Marín’s story</span> </h1> <div> <div><p>José, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, shares how his work and personal life collided when his daughter Rebeca was diagnosed with meningitis.</p></div> </div> <ul> <li> <b>2 October 2026</b> </li> <li> <b class="me-2">by</b> <span> <a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/authors/meningitis-research-foundation" hreflang="en">Meningitis Research Foundation</a> </span> </li> </ul> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <p> </p><p>My name is José Eduardo Oliva Marín. I am a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist from El Salvador, Central America.</p><p>In 2012, when my daughter Rebeca was 14 years old, she contracted pneumococcal meningitis.</p><h3>Initial symptoms and deteriorating health</h3><p>On a Saturday morning she complained of a headache. I realized something was wrong when Rebeca came into our room. Her face showed pain.</p><p>The pain gradually worsened and vomiting appeared. Because there was no clear cause, a CT scan was performed, which did not show any significant findings.</p><blockquote><h2>I share our story because I want to inform people that full recovery is possible if a quick diagnosis, and prompt and correct treatment are installed.</h2></blockquote><p>Later that evening, she developed fever and the headache intensified; her neck became stiff. The pediatric neurologist (I had been his teacher) performed a lumbar puncture, which confirmed bacterial meningitis.</p><p>When the diagnosis was confirmed, I felt terrible. I knew everything that could happen, including death.</p><p>Streptococcus pneumoniae was later isolated as the causative organism (she had received all her vaccinations).</p><p>The physician asked me: “Professor, would you agree with starting vancomycin plus ceftriaxone, with steroids beforehand?” I replied: “You are the doctor; this time I am the father.”</p><h3>Responding to treatment</h3><p>Thirty minutes after starting the treatment, my daughter woke up and asked me: “Dad, where am I? What happened? Let’s go home.” She completed 14 days of treatment with vancomycin and ceftriaxone and made a full recovery.</p> <h3>Life after meningitis</h3><p>Today she is 28 years old and is in her third year of a PhD program in Contemporary Latin American and Iberian Literature at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.</p><p>Success by all means.</p> <div><h4>Call to action</h4><p>This World Meningitis Day, become one of the 2,030 voices for 2030 by sharing your story. Together, we can defeat meningitis.</p><p class="text-align-center"><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.meningitis.org/meningitis-in-your-words-home/share-your-story/">Share your story</a></p></div><p> </p><div><div><h3>In collaboration</h3><p>This article is published in collaboration with Meningitis Research Foundation, the world’s leading meningitis charity, dedicated to defeating meningitis wherever it exists.</p><p><a href="https://www.meningitis.org/meningitis-in-your-words/jose-eduardo-oliva-marin/">Original article</a></p><h3>Author</h3><p>José Eduardo Oliva Marín, Rebeca's father</p><h3>Meningitis in your words</h3><p>Meningitis in your words is a digital library of stories, hosted by Meningitis Research Foundation, from people around the world who have experienced the life-changing impacts of meningitis. Meningitis Research Foundation's goal is to reach 2,030 stories in support of the World Health Organization’s goal to defeat meningitis by 2030, making this the world’s largest digital collection of first-person meningitis experiences.</p><p>Survivors, partners, parents, carers, friends, health workers – everyone has a story to tell. Each one is unique, personal and has something to offer. Whether it’s compassion, encouragement, optimism or despair, sharing helps others who have experienced the impact of meningitis, letting them know that they are never alone.</p><p><a href="https://www.meningitis.org/meningitis-in-your-words" target="_blank">Check out the full series</a></p></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/jose-eduardo-oliva-marins-story">Original article</a> </p><p>This article was originally published on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork">VaccinesWork</a> </p><script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-M7H54VD');</script><noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-M7H54VD" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript></article>
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Rebeca. Credit: José Eduardo Oliva Marín

My name is José Eduardo Oliva Marín. I am a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist from El Salvador, Central America.

In 2012, when my daughter Rebeca was 14 years old, she contracted pneumococcal meningitis.

Initial symptoms and deteriorating health

On a Saturday morning she complained of a headache. I realized something was wrong when Rebeca came into our room. Her face showed pain.

The pain gradually worsened and vomiting appeared. Because there was no clear cause, a CT scan was performed, which did not show any significant findings.

I share our story because I want to inform people that full recovery is possible if a quick diagnosis, and prompt and correct treatment are installed.

Later that evening, she developed fever and the headache intensified; her neck became stiff. The pediatric neurologist (I had been his teacher) performed a lumbar puncture, which confirmed bacterial meningitis.

When the diagnosis was confirmed, I felt terrible. I knew everything that could happen, including death.

Streptococcus pneumoniae was later isolated as the causative organism (she had received all her vaccinations).

The physician asked me: “Professor, would you agree with starting vancomycin plus ceftriaxone, with steroids beforehand?” I replied: “You are the doctor; this time I am the father.”

Responding to treatment

Thirty minutes after starting the treatment, my daughter woke up and asked me: “Dad, where am I? What happened? Let’s go home.” She completed 14 days of treatment with vancomycin and ceftriaxone and made a full recovery.

Rebeca in hospital. Credit: José Eduardo Oliva Marín

Life after meningitis

Today she is 28 years old and is in her third year of a PhD program in Contemporary Latin American and Iberian Literature at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Success by all means.

Rebeca and family. Credit: Rebeca in hospital. Credit: José Eduardo Oliva Marín

Call to action

This World Meningitis Day, become one of the 2,030 voices for 2030 by sharing your story. Together, we can defeat meningitis.

Share your story

In collaboration

This article is published in collaboration with Meningitis Research Foundation, the world’s leading meningitis charity, dedicated to defeating meningitis wherever it exists.

Original article

Author

José Eduardo Oliva Marín, Rebeca's father

Meningitis in your words

Meningitis in your words is a digital library of stories, hosted by Meningitis Research Foundation, from people around the world who have experienced the life-changing impacts of meningitis. Meningitis Research Foundation's goal is to reach 2,030 stories in support of the World Health Organization’s goal to defeat meningitis by 2030, making this the world’s largest digital collection of first-person meningitis experiences.

Survivors, partners, parents, carers, friends, health workers – everyone has a story to tell. Each one is unique, personal and has something to offer. Whether it’s compassion, encouragement, optimism or despair, sharing helps others who have experienced the impact of meningitis, letting them know that they are never alone.

Check out the full series