After flu kills boy, CO family responds to backlash of taking anti-vaxxer advice

After a 4-year-old Pueblo boy died from the flu, the Colorado family has responded to criticism for following advice from an anti-vaxxer Facebook group.

Najee Jackson Jr.’s family took the boy to the hospital after they found him passed out, Najee’s family told WITN. The parents’ other children had been battling the flu.

Najee’s heart stopped and he wasn’t breathing, and he was taken off life support at the hospital, WITN reported.

After Najee died, Neva Montoya’s Facebook comments drew criticism because she said that the doctor prescribed Tamiflu for her children and she didn’t pick up the medication, according to NBC News.

“The doc prescribed tamiflu I did not pick it up,” she wrote.

Montoya also asked for advice on an anti-vaxxer Facebook group called “Stop Mandatory Vaccination.” She said she was treating her children with “natural cures” including peppermint oil, vitamin C and lavender. Someone suggested that she try breast milk, thyme and elderberry and she responded: “Perfect, I’ll try that.”

After the Facebook posts went viral, the family told WITN that everything they’ve been through “ is hard enough” and “they don’t have time for online judgment.”

“I don’t look at none of it,” Najee Jackson Sr., the boy’s father, told Fox31.

“The negative comments — keep to yourself because at the end of the day, what’s important is that each one of these parents goes home and kisses their kids,” Jackson said.

Najee’s family also started a GoFundMe to help pay for expenses.

“Myself and all those who love Najee are devastated and broken,” they wrote. “I ask that you please continue to pray for me and our family, we truly need it now more than ever! “

This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 6:33 PM with the headline "After flu kills boy, CO family responds to backlash of taking anti-vaxxer advice."