Thank you for your kind support. Gompf M.D. Dear Parents and Florida Residents,
You may recall the story of our 10-year-old son Philip Gompf. He died suddenly from amoebic meningitis ("brain-eating amoeba") after wake boarding in Polk County in 2009, Boy Dies From Rare Form of Encephalitis | TheLedger.com (http://www.theledger.com/article/20090929/NEWS/909289971). Our boy was an honor student wit
h a generous heart. He wanted to be an engineer and build a better world. We are residents of Plant City since 1996. My husband, Dr. Timothy Gompf, is a Hospital Pediatrician at Lakeland Regional Medical Center and recent President of the Medical Staff at South Florida Baptist Hospital. I have the privilege of training future doctors and caring for veterans as Section Chief and University faculty in Infectious Diseases. We have family and friends in Lakeland. Each year, when children succumb to Naegleria, we relive Philip’s last days and worry about our community’s children. Amoebic meningitis kills rapidly, there are few rapid diagnostic tools, and it is nearly impossible to cure, even if caught early. Yet while amoebic meningitis is 99.9% lethal, it is 100% preventable, IF parents are aware of the simple means of prevention. This is where we need your help. We want to give back to our community and empower parents to protect their children from highly preventable illnesses, like amoebic meningitis. To support public awareness, my husband and I are raising funds for the University of South Florida Philip T. Gompf Memorial Fund #250155 (http://usf.edu/ua/afsol?msource=MDEPG14). Dr. John T. Sinnott, Chair of Internal Medicine, established this Fund to honor Philip and his aspirations to better the world. The fund supports educational efforts in Infectious Diseases throughout the Florida community, educational institutions, and online. It supports scholarships for medical students with outstanding achievements in the field of Infectious Diseases. This summer, we launch a digital billboard campaign (boards owned by Branch Ranch) on the I-4 corridor, reminding Florida parents with positive messages that it’s “amoeba season” and linking to an educational website, Amoeba-Season.com. We will initially offer free information, downloadable flyers, and awareness tools such as wristbands and more. With your help, we envision a yearly Amoeba Season campaign, free giveaways and events, and interactive online content with social media links. We envisage the fund as a tool for other public health literacy as well. As the fund grows, we want to keep supporters informed of its progress and new directions, as well as promote the generosity of our benefactors. Tim and I are so grateful to have had Philip in our lives. You can help us fulfill his vision of a healthier world. Please look for our website soon, Amoeba-Season.com, http://www.amoeba-season.com. Thank you for your kindness. We look forward to hearing from you! Gompf, M.D. Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases, USF Morsani College of Medicine
Tampa, Florida
Timothy C. Gompf, M.D.,Pediatrics, Watson Clinic, LLP
Plant City and Lakeland, Florida
