The parents of a 3-year-old who died from swine flu in June spoke out today to encourage other parents of small children to get their children vaccinated.

“I think the most important thing is to help someone, anyone, who can benefit from our story,” said Max Neves, the father of 3-year-old Joshua.
Max and Erica Neves of Kaimuki told reporters this afternoon that their daughter, 18-month-old Makayla, was vaccinated against swine flu in October.
Joshua died June 19 at Kapiçolani Medical Center for Women & Children, months before a vaccine for H1N1 was available.
He had no pre-existing conditions.
His parents said the 3-year-old had had a fever the day before, but he had otherwise not been exhibiting any severe symptoms. In the early afternoon, though, his mother found him unresponsive.
His was rushed to the hospital, and died the next afternoon.
The city Medical Examiner later determined that Joshua died from “acute respiratory distress” as a result of the H1N1 virus.
“I go from playing with him on Wednesday to opening up the obituaries and seeing my son’s face,” Max Neves said.
Health Department officials say Joshua’s case shows how dangerous H1N1 can be, especially in children.
They urged parents to get the vaccination for their kids.
Eleven people in the Islands have died from swine flu.
As of today, 266,400 doses of the vaccine have been allocated to the state by the Centers for Disease Control.
Some 97,400 have been distributed to providers so far, and orders for 73,800 more are being placed today.
Some 95,200 doses have been set aside for school clinic vaccinations.