HOWELL, Mich. – George Cary of Howell lost his wife to meningitis, and how he is at risk of contracting it himself.
Lillian Cary was one of three people in Michigan to die after receiving injections of steroids linked to an outbreak of fungal meningitis. Twenty-five people in Michigan have contracted meningitis in the outbreak.
After Lillian Cary's funeral Tuesday morning, husband George Cary and his daughters met the media.
The first thing George wanted everyone to know was how wonderful and lovable his wife was.
"She had the attitude and spunk that just made her a remarkable person. Everyone that met her fell in love with her," Cary said.
Now George Cary faces an uncertain future because he too got steroid injections. At this point, he does not know if he is infected.
Cary and his family say this outbreak did not have to happen, but at this point, George Cary says he has other concerns.
"We are trying to keep ourselves together and focus right now on healing ourselves," Cary said.
Daughter Heather Andrus said the family's anger over what has happened might surface at some later time, but not now.
"The grief and disbelief that something like this could happen is still there, and like my father, we haven't really had much time to get online and get to see what necessarily could be to blame for this, so the anger has not yet become a factor," Andrus said.
George Cary did not want to place blame at this point, but said people should be vigilant so that no other family has to undergo what he and his family have had to endure.
-- Lillian Cary