How MFC Began
MFC’s story begins with the loss of Kathryn Blain’s son Michael Longo, who passed away on May 9, 1995—merely four days after saying he was feeling unwell.
In the wake of this tragedy, Kathryn was left with questions but no answers. Why did Michael die? Why did so much medical attention at a Toronto hospital amount to so little? How could this have been prevented? In trying to understand what had happened to her son, Kathryn realized there was very little information available.
Two years later, during an outbreak of meningitis in Kitchener/Waterloo, Kathryn saw the opportunity to start building what would become Meningitis Foundation Canada. Doing so would help provide others with the support and information that Kathryn lacked at the time of her son’s death.
After reaching out to others in the community who saw the need for a national organization, and several meetings over breakfast in Kathryn’s kitchen, an executive core took shape, and MFC was born.
In 2020, we changed our name from Meningitis Foundation of Canada to Meningitis Foundation Canada.
What We Do
In the years since its inception, MFC has become an advocate for meningitis research and vaccinations, a source of health information, and a support system for people who have experienced meningitis in their own lives.