Teen succumbs to rare disease

OBITUARY: Meningococcal disorder takes the life of Lauren Burke, 14, a Hewes Middle School student.

February 17, 1998

By NANCY LUNA
The Orange County Register

TUSTIN — Eighth-grader Lauren Burke was like any young teen-age girl. She loved her friends, rock music and talking on the phone.

She also loved poetry, sci-fi books and boating with her dad.

Burke's Hewes Middle School classmates will not see her as they return from a three-day weekend this morning. Instead, they will mourn her death.

Burke died Friday of a rare bacterial disorder that swiftly took over her body, family and health officials said Monday.

"It happened fast," said the girl's uncle, Daniel Burke. "Her system automatically shut down."

Burke, 14, was admitted Feb. 4 to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana after she complained of a high fever and rash, symptoms commonly associated with meningococcal disease. The infection attacks internal organs and the bloodstream.

Last year 10 cases of meningococcemia were diagnosed in Orange County, three of which were fatal.

After Lauren Burke tested positive for the disease, doctors began treating her with antibiotics.

But the infection raced through her body.

Her kidneys and lungs began to fail, and she was transferred to Children's Hospital of Orange County on Feb. 6.

"She got sick very quickly," said Dr. Sana Al-Jundi, a pediatric intensive-care specialist at CHOC who treated the North Tustin eighth-grader. "When she came to us, she was near death."

On Feb. 5, school officials sent a letter home to parents notifying them of a suspected case of meningococcal disease contracted by a student. The letter explained what the disease is and how it is transmitted.

It's unclear how Lauren Burke contracted the infection, which can spread by close contact through mucus.

Burke's uncle said his niece was a responsible teen-ager who aspired to be a lawyer.

She doted over her 11-year-old twin sisters, swooned over the rock band Sublime and devoured any science-fiction book she could get her hands on.

"She was a water skiier and loved boating with her dad," said her uncle. "And, like any 14-year-old girl, she loved the phone."

Lauren Burke's parents and relatives gathered at her home Monday, trying to figure out how someone so precious could leave them so soon.

"You can't put into words how we'll miss a 14-year-old girl," her uncle said, choking on his words. "She didn't have a chance to do any of the things she wanted to do. It's the world's loss, as well as ours."

In addition to her twin sisters, Ashley and Shannon, Lauren Burke is survived by her parents, Patrick and Tanya.

A visitation is scheduled for 4 p.m. today at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Calvary Church of Santa Ana. The family is asking that flowers be sent to Fairhaven.

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Register staff writer Jill Leach contributed to this report.