- After developing what seemed like a stomach bug, Maddy was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition Menstrual Toxic Shock Syndrome (mTSS)
- Just three days after celebrating her 19th birthday, Maddy’s family made the heartbreaking decision to switch off her life support
- Determined to save other families from the same tragedy, Dawn founded the Don’t Shock Me Foundation
Here, Dawn Massabni, 62, tells her story in her own words.
Standing on the shoreline, my daughter, Maddy, then 17, beamed with joy.
With the sand between her toes and the calming sound of the waves crashing, my girl was in her happy place.
A single mum to Maddy and her big brother Georgie, then 20, the three of us loved going on holiday together.
Full of curiosity and adventure, Maddy saw the world as one big playground.
And no matter where she went, she had an innate ability to make everyone around her feel loved and included.
‘You’re perfect as you are,’ she’d tell friends if they ever felt down.
Maddy had set her sights on studying fashion, dreaming of working backstage at runway shows. After being accepted into uni, she moved into a dormitory on campus, aged 18.
With Georgie also living on campus at another uni, without the sounds of my kids laughing and joking together, the house felt so empty.
Despite living apart, Maddy and Georgie remained the best of friends, going out for meals, attending parties together when both at home, and talking on the phone.
So in March 2017, when Maddy came home for her 19th birthday, Georgie, then 22, was disappointed that he couldn’t make it as he was preparing for exams.
I knew he was there with us in spirit as we visited a seafood restaurant to celebrate.
Maddy had a stomach ache, so didn’t eat much at dinner.
Back home afterwards, she was sick in the bathroom.
‘Get some rest. You’ll feel better in the morning,’ I comforted, helping her into bed.
The next day Maddy was still unwell. She had a low temperature but no other symptoms, so I wasn’t too worried.
She must have a stomach bug, I thought.
Around midnight, Maddy came into my room to let me know that she wasn’t feeling any better.
‘We’ll go to the doctor first thing in the morning,’ I promised.
Waking early, I went to check on Maddy. ‘How are you feeling, sweetheart?’ I said, sitting beside her.
Maddy’s brown eyes looked straight through me.
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Dialling emergency, I knew something was seriously wrong.
‘Please hurry,’ I begged the operator.
Then Maddy started convulsing. I realised she was having a seizure.
When her body stilled a few minutes later, my girl’s terror-filled eyes met mine.
Then her eyes closed.
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Feeling for her pulse, I realised she wasn’t breathing.
‘Please stay with me!’ I begged as I began CPR.
When paramedics arrived, they took over, before loading her into an ambulance.
In Emergency, Maddy was placed on a ventilator. I’d noticed tampon wrappers in the bathroom earlier that day and told doctors that Maddy was on her period.
They ran lots of tests, and discovered she was suffering from menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS) – a life-threatening condition.
It had been caused by a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, which had been found on her tampon.
In rare cases, the bacteria produce a toxin that triggers an immune response, which is what happened to Maddy.
‘Get on the next plane. Maddy is in hospital,’ I sobbed to Georgie on the phone.
When he arrived soon after, I fell into his arms.
‘I can’t lose her,’ I cried.
Heartbreakingly, Maddy’s organs began shutting down.
A series of tests devastatingly revealed she had little to no brain activity.
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‘There’s nothing more we can do for her,’ the neurologist said.
Over the next 24 hours, family and friends flew in to say goodbye.
On March 30 at 4.55pm, three days after her 19th birthday, our family made the heart-wrenching decision to turn off Maddy’s life support.
‘Mummy loves you always,’ I whispered as she took her final breath.
I couldn’t believe a tampon had killed my girl.
In the months that followed, I struggled to even leave the house and wished I could trade places with Maddy.
But with Georgie’s support, I realised I had to make the most of my life, doing all the things Maddy was no longer able to.
In 2018, we launched the Don’t Shock Me Foundation, to increase awareness of mTSS, hoping to save other families from the same heartbreak.
We travel to schools and organisations, teaching about the potentially fatal condition, and the importance of changing your period products at least every four to eight hours, and understanding the symptoms of mTSS.
We’ve also been working closely with the state government in New Jersey to designate March 30 as Menstrual Toxic Shock Awareness Day – the same day Maddy lost her fight.
It was passed in January this year.
One day I hope for it to be recognised around the world.
Now I’m campaigning for the US Food and Drug Administration to include bigger, bolder warning signs on every tampon box to warn others of mTSS symptoms and the dangers of tampon use.
It’s something I’d love to see other countries, like Australia, also adopt.
Nine years on from her death, Maddy is in my every thought and I miss her with every breath I take.
On her birthday each year I bake her favourite confetti cake and take pink roses to her resting place.
Georgie, now 31, tells everyone he meets about his sister and the signs and mTSS symptoms to look out for.
If we can stop one family from going through the same heartache, it will be worth it.
Maddy mattered.
