This Christmas has been one of the best EVER!!! We've never been able to do THIS before!!! EVER as a family. Not even my husband and I, when we moved back to his "native" land (New York - 1 block from Lock 17), after getting married.
All of us... building Frosty! And then I decided he should don "Da Ugly Suit". So I go outside and here he is...
My young (29) next door next door neighbor happened to be outside, and we started talking. I told him what I was doing to poor Frosty, and a synapse of the whole contest. He was laughing and volunteered to take the above picture! We've talked about the boys. He knows. Thank you Trey :D
Alright Karen, as soon as I can get to the post office, she is on her way. Pathetic... 12 days in a row it has snowed here and they have still now plowed anywhere in Vancouver except the throughways. Nor have they laid sand or salt. I have a feeling if we don't get rain this weekend and warm temps (45 or so) and it all melts off I will be writing the county asking where our tax dollars are going :D Yeh... we live just off of a very busy street and here is what the intersection looked like yesterday. It's worse today!
It's all good though because we have Frosty. And he has inspired the whole neighborhood!!! And that is a wonderful thing!!!
BTW - For height comparison, I am 5'6". It took Dave and I two attempts to get his middle section up. Dave thinks it weighed about 200+ pounds. Yeh... Hoo Rah :D
Many people over the past year have asked me how I became so involved in military advocacy for our military dependent children with autism. Well as you all know I have four children - two with autism - our children weren't receiving services and I stumbled on an opportunity one day last year to possibly make a difference HERE. It was quite simple what I did, I wrote, which is what I do. I was quite ticked that my kids weren't able to receive services! But on that particular day I did something I've never done before; I included my email publicly in this comment. Within a few days Karen Driscoll contacted me.
Since Karen initially contacted me just over a year ago, very few days have gone by during which we did not speak once if not mulitple times. Karen has worked her butt off for our children. She has literally "pounded the pavement" of the Pentagon. I remember one day when we were on the phone during a really heavy workload time for both of us, and she actually discovered she had several blisters on her feet. That's "pounding the pavement"!
It has been an honor to work with Karen this past year and I look forward to what will come about next year. We have quite a team of military parents who are working together, and I must say that I am damn proud to be a military spouse and the mother of two children with autism.
Air Force Core Values: Integrity First. Service Before Self. Excellence In All We Do. Marine Corps: Semper Fidelis - translation: Always Faithful
I am proud of US News & World Report for reporting the truth about the military and lack of treatment for our children with autism. I thank you, and thousands of military families will thank you as well. US News & World Report has demonstrated the values of the Marine Corps and Air Force fully, in this article. You are the first national publication to tell the world fully about the plight of our military dependent children with autism.
I pray that US News & World Report will stay tuned and continue to report on the autism epidemic, for both the military and civilian children and adults who have autism and suffer from a grave lack treatment accessability.
Intro paragraph from US News & World Report:
"Karen Driscoll might seem the unlikeliest of lobbyists to cruise the halls of Congress. Indeed, the Marine Corps wife and mother with three young children, one of whom has autism, didn't envision herself hustling down the marbled corridors in a power suit. Yet, on a recent fall day, Driscoll is maneuvering her way like a K Street pro, eager for any opportunity to make her case that the Pentagon's healthcare system is failing active-duty military families with autistic children, families like her own."
Please read the entire US News & World Report on autism in the military HERE. Karen... YOU ROCK!!!!! Semper Fi
Sidenote: I would like to point out that Major General Elder Granger explains autism as a neurobiological disorder... Tabers 19th Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary... forgive my incorrect citation :) When looking up neurobiology it defers to the biology of the nervous system. Ahhh... "One of the regulatory systems, made up of millions of neurons in precise pathways to transmit electron-chemicals impulses, and of neuroglial cells that have several functions, including formation of myelin sheaths of neurons". It also goes on to include information about the spinal cord and that of the peripheral nervous system... Sensory Integration Disorder? Does this sound familiar to anyone? And MG Granger knows it??? He called autism a neurobiological disorder last year, yet refuses to fully treat autism as such. My personal opinion is that my children's immune systems have been damaged to the extent that their Microglia cells are permanently damanged...
Grow up Elder. You better figure out a way to take care of our Wounded Warriors and you better figure out, upon the advice of parents, how to treat our military dependent children with autism.
Lee Silsby Compounding Pharmacy is offering $20 off of prescription compounded medications for all new customers of Lee Silsby. Just mention code LS20 when calling in.
I often receive letters from parents of children with autism, from all over the world. They are moving, gratifying, and powerful. They keep me going.
Yesterday, I received a letter that I will never forget. It was from a Captain in the U.S. Army, who has risked his life in the name of his country. He also has three sons on the autism spectrum, and he blames vaccines.
"To be honest, the vast majority of military families dealing with autism that I know, think that vaccines are the cause," Capt. Joe Mickley told me in a phone interview. "And those include some people of very high rank in the military."
One colleague had a son born in the same military hospital, at the same time, as his own, youngest son – the most severely affected of his three children. The two boys both developed normally together, and then began to regress at roughly the same time, Capt. Mickley said, eventually developing the same symptoms and signs of autism.
He told me that the parents of that child recently bought Jenny McCarthy's book, "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism," and, within a week and a half of starting chelation therapy and other biomedical treatments, "that child started recovering. He started speaking again."
This is not the last that we will be hearing from Captain Mickley. He and many other military families are getting ready to come forward and tell their stories en-masse.
It's easy to dismiss and ridicule me (and it is part of my job description, so I don't really care). It's more difficult to do so to a battle hardened Army Captain. Yes, people will try. But I don't envy them.
Here then, is Captain Mickley's letter to me. Anyone wishing to contact him should email Angela Warner at autismrr at gmail dot com. Please include CAPTAIN MICKLEY in the subject line. Angela runs the blog Autism Salutes, she will forward the letters to him.
-------------------
Mr. Kirby
I just wanted to write you a quick note to thank you for the work that you are doing toward uncovering what is happening to our children, more specifically the work that you have done for military families. I am a Captain in the United States Army, with 11 years of dedicated service to the nation.
I have recently become disheartened with how autism is being dealt with in the military. I am the proud father of three young boys whom all enjoy a spot on the spectrum. I read on your site and others that the military has a very high rate of dependents on the spectrum, although I would swear to you that six months ago, when autism first exposed itself in my family, my wife and I felt like we were the first family to go through this, and over the recent months I have met others whose stories are almost identical to ours. You have helped me realize that we are not alone and that something is going on to trigger what equates to be brain damage, instead of what I thought was autism.
Sir, as I follow your words it inspires me to gather together the members of the families who have gone through the same hell as mine. To let our voice be heard so that action has to be taken. I and others like me would like accountability why we lost our children. I have video of my son months prior to the vaccines that I believe triggered his withdrawal. He is engaged, alert, talkative and happy.
Following the shots, he began a steady withdrawal and decline. The most painful part was that we watched him slip away, and before I knew it, he was not the same. We also have doctors' records documenting our concerns as well as a military doctor's summary stating that our concerns were more than likely unfounded.
After visiting that doctor, we fought for more than seven months through more red tape than anything I had experienced in ten years of service to obtain a diagnosis. Little did I know that this would just be the beginning of our battle to save our boys.
As a Soldier and combat veteran of multiple tours I have fought against our nation's enemies. I have seen the dark side of humanity and survived it. That experience pales in comparison to the horror of watching your child suffer a regression.
Again sir, I thank you and hope that you may never grow tired in your efforts, because my family and many others count on you.
Respectfully, Captain Joe Mickley United States Army
The Vaccine Healthcare Center’s Network (VHCN), a collaboration of the Department of Defense (DoD) and Center’s for Disease Control (CDC), decided on December 5, 2008 between 5:35pm and 6:21pm (EST), that the original VHCN webpage (now a cached version) HERE listing autism as an adverse event associated with the DTaP vaccine needed some revision (HERE). Following is the continuation of “Evidence of Harm”.
On December 4, 2008, David Kirby wrote “The Pentagon – A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism? HERE Later that day I wrote “The Army Fighting Autism? The Department of Defense?” HERE
Below is a time line of my day (Dec. 5th) regarding the page now “under revision”. I have put all of the events down in EST, as that is where “disappearing act” took place.
12:05pm - I talked to Friend #1 regarding the seriousness of this information. The VHCN page listing autism as an adverse event associated with DTaP was not under revision. "It" was up.
1:00pm - I talked to Friend #2. "It" was working on my end. “It” was working on her end. “It” was up.
5:15pm - I talked with Friend #2 again while drafting an email. "It" was up on my end as I was seriously contemplating putting the direct link in the email body. Friend #2 opened the page again during our discussion. “It” was up.
5:35pm – I sent the following email to Dr. S. Ward Casscells, Assistant Secretary of Defense, and to Major General Elder Granger, Deputy Director of TRICARE Management Activity (TMA).
Dear Dr. Casscells and General Granger,
The below information is spreading like wildfire through the civilian and military communities. I would encourage you to read the articles at the following links ASAP.
I am interested in your comment on these statements, "We have preliminary findings from one of our many on-going research studies that suggest a relationship between adverse events and multiple vaccinations exist. These findings will require validation, but heighten our concern for the current clinical practice of multiple vaccinations." And this, "However, our work over the past years has been humbling in relation to the knowledge gaps which the Institute of Medicine Reports has also highlighted."
Colonel Renata J. M. Engler, MD, Director of the Vaccine Healthcare Centers
I would also like to hear your input on what OSD Health Affairs is doing to implement the recommendations of Dr. Engler.
I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend. Very Respectfully, Angela Warner – Air Force spouse and mom to four children (two with autism)
6:21pm – A comment goes up on the EOHarm listserv that “It” is down. The VHCN webpage referencing autism as an adverse event due to the DTaP vaccine is “under revision”.
Something smells rotten to me. Why is this webpage “under revision”? What is going on?
The truth is out there, and the only way the truth might be heard is if hearings are called upon for both the DoD and the CDC.
With 1 in every 67 children diagnosed with autism, our children account for more than a third of the population. Does everyone realize this?
Who will call the hearings? Who is up to the task? Because the time has come. And we need the TRUTH! And NOW! Oh and since I've been writing this... the page refered to in the beginning is now dead. There is no more "under revision". It's gone. All of a sudden in more than one way. Who is responsible for this? I DEMAND an answer!
On December 4, 2008 David Kirby wrote an article full of excellent questions and information, “The Pentagon – A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism?”. You can read it HERE or HERE or HERE.
If we are going to send in the Army to fight autism, these brave soldiers need to know they will be fighting the Department of Defense.
This past week I learned that, “For immunization requirements, the Air Force follows the CDC recommendations, which are endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)”, and that every single vaccine on the CDC’s recommended schedule is mandated for children who are attending military installation Child Development Centers, Family Child Care and School Age Programs. This includes the flu vaccine for infants as young as six months. You can read the Memorandum HERE . (My apologies as it is not the best copy)
This information came to me last week by way of an email. A fellow Air Force mom needed help and support in obtaining an exemption for her children who have egg allergies and have had systemic adverse vaccine reactions previously. They have done nothing but give this mom who has a BSN and MBA, the runaround. I have seen what they’ve done, and it is completely unacceptable.
Over two days ago, I sent an email to Ms. Eliza Nesmith requesting that she “provide me with studies that have been conducted demonstrating safety and efficacy of the kind and number of vaccines that are now mandated for children attending, including the flu vaccine now required for babies as young as six months old.” I have heard nothing from her. When folks at the Pentagon are out of the office, you always receive an auto-reply. If, “all CDC recommendations should be instituted as AF-wide requirements and should not be dependent upon local law”, I expect an answer to my question. If my child is enrolled in a military installation child care or school age program, federal vaccination mandates have taken away my God given right to make health care decisions for my children, and I do not appreciate that one little bit. Vaccination is the only mandated and invasive medical procedure, why is this?
The CDC recommendations for vaccination are not just instituted as Air Force requirements to attend child care or school age programs, but are requirements for the same through all branches of service. This is not an Air Force problem; this is a Department of Defense problem.
US Army Colonel Renata J. M. Engler, MD, Director of the Vaccine Healthcare Centers, (a "collaborative network" of the Defense Department and the CDC), wrote to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) (HERE) , "We have preliminary findings from one of our many on-going research studies that suggest a relationship between adverse events and multiple vaccinations exist. These findings will require validation, but heighten our concern for the current clinical practice of multiple vaccinations."
If there is heightened concern that a relationship exists between adverse events (including autism) HERE and multiple vaccinations, then why in the world is the Department of Defense mandating the CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule for military children? Especially considering Dr. Engler also said, “However, our work over the past years has been humbling in relation to the knowledge gaps which the Institute of Medicine Reports has also highlighted.”
UPDATE: After David Kirby's article HERE and this article were sent to certain officials the original link (above) now looks like this GO HERE
Although I am not sure when, I know as of 2004 the military was checking titers to disease prior to recruits receiving vaccines in Basic Military Training (BMT). It is therefore reasonable to ponder that children (both military and civilian) are receiving far more vaccines (and I mean vaccines – not injections) at one visit than our military members receive at one time. Titer testing saved my husband from receiving vaccines against five different diseases in BMT.
It is obviously beneficial for the Department of Defense to check titers against disease in potential members. Is this monetarily beneficial, beneficial to the future members health, or are they one and the same? If it wasn’t one or the other, or the same, they wouldn’t be doing it.
Does it therefore not make monetary and health wise sense for ALL children to spread our vaccines? Would it not make monetary and healthwise sense to restore the vaccine schedule of say, 1983 (HERE), starting at four or six months instead of two, substituting the OPV for IPV, DTP for DtaP, and checking titers before proceeding with further vaccination? And to get rid of the RhoGam shot until after birth like it was previously as well? Infants are not only born with immunity to certain diseases, but have continued immunity to those diseases while breastfeeding. I am a breastfeeding mother to a 26 month old UNVACCINATED child and I know and see and live, how immunity works!
We have an epidemic of unprecendented proportions on our hands and in our homes and schools around the globe! The autism epidemic, and the autism epidemic continues to grow with each passing minute.
I received an email last night from a good friend in which they said, “The only possible conclusion at this time is that the US vaccine schedule is dangerous and un-monitored. It is a government program that has run off the tracks. Nuts! One government branch says one thing and another says something completely different”. My response was this, “It is scary for me to think about where this is all going to go to stop the program that is off the tracks. It is dangerous that's for sure. But they think they're doing a fantastic job... of monitoring themselves. It is not just nuts! It is Insane!
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, and expecting different results.” Rita Mae Brown
It’s time to do something different. Government officials on all levels keep adding vaccines to the recommended schedule. They continually assure us while they don’t know what causes autism; they KNOW it is not caused by vaccines. It seems there is much truth to Rita Mae Brown’s words.
A few goodies for military parents. Need childcare where you will have state exemptions available…possibly more? GO HERE for options!
Need base childcare? Here’s the bottom line. The medical exemption is the usual and stands, but that “administrative exemption” which is “rarely, if ever granted”, is the religious exemption which must be on letterhead from your clergy stating the grounds for exemption, and I was informed today from a local Army base and by a person in a position to make such a statement, “We don’t mess with either of those”, meaning the medical or what the Air Force calls “administrative” exemption. So if you have either exemption, do the paper work, and do it right.
Yes, I think the Army is ready to fight the autism epidemic. I know the Marine Corps, and Navy have led the way as well, when it comes to fighting autism. It’s all documented on Autism Salutes. My only question is where is the Air Force? I think we may need some Air support on this one!
As an Air Force spouse, I say: The Department of Defense might be working, but it isn't working fast, hard, nor diligently enough given the crisis of the autism epidemic!
Note: Reprinted with permission from the author. This article originally ran HERE.
By: David Kirby
When it comes to fighting autism, maybe we should send in the Army.
Autism and the military have a deep history together. Children of service members are reportedly almost twice as likely to have autism (1-in-88) than those in the general population (1-in-150) HERE. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense quietly spends millions in taxpayer dollars researching the possible causes of autism at far-from-the-spotlight centers around the country.
Recently, several documents have been brought to my attention which, when viewed together, suggest that the Department of Defense has legitimate concerns about vaccine injuries and their possible connection to autism, perhaps more so than other branches of the Federal Government.
These documents raise several questions that I am currently trying to get answered from DOD officials:
1) Autism may be an "adverse event" of Tripedia (DTaP) use
According to the website of the Vaccine Healthcare Centers Network, run by DOD and CDC, autism is listed as an "adverse event" associated with use of the Tripedia triple vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. HERE
My questions are: Why does autism appear here? Does VHC consider autism to be a possible adverse event of DTaP use, or has it simply been reported that way by parents?
2) Patients who have bad vaccine reactions should avoid multiple vaccines in the future
According to this VHC slide (HERE), any patient who has a "Systemic Event" following immunization - defined as "symptoms and signs of illness after vaccination" and "any reaction that does not involve the injection site" - should avoid multiple vaccines in the future, if possible.
My questions are: Is that standard DOD policy? Is there an alternative schedule for these patients? Does this advice apply to children of service members as well? Why is this information not shared with civilian doctors and pediatricians?
3) Patients who develop serious neurological diseases might need vaccine exemptions in the future
Meanwhile, risks for recurrent reactions should be assessed before additional doses are given, and "permanent vaccine exemption may be required."
Again, is this DOD policy? Are such exemptions given? Because autism is listed as a "severe neurological disease," would those patients (ie, children of service members) also be exempt from future vaccinations? And, on a related note, does VHC consider autism to be a "neurological disease," as opposed to a developmental/behavioral disorder?
4) Mercury, and possibly thimerosal may cause autism and dementia
According this slide (#22) (HERE) on the vaccine preservative thimerosal, from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), "exposure to mercury in utero and children may cause mild to severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment." The slide also seems to indicate that autism and dementia might questionably be "health effects" of mercury or thimerosal exposure.
My question is: Why does autism appear on a list of health effects on a slide about thimerosal, even if it is followed by a question mark?
5) Alternative biomedical treatments may be prescribed for thimerosal exposure
The same slide says that "treatments" for thimerosal exposure include: "Methyl-B12, ointment DMPS, & glutathione (GSH)." These are all alternative (some would say fringe, radical and dangerous) treatments being used today by thousands of autism parents and their children's physicians, with varying degrees of success (including reports of full recovery).
Methyl-B12 - has been shown to repair damage to the process of methylation, and to restore methionine and glutathione levels in patients with autism to within normal ranges.
DMPS - is a sulfur-based amino acid used in the process of chelation - in which sulfur molecules bind with heavy metals such as mercury, and eliminate them from the system.
Glutathione - is a sulfur-based protein that binds with heavy metals and eliminates them from the system. It is also a powerful anti-oxidant. Many children with autism show signs of glutathione depletion, heavy metal accumulation and oxidative stress.
My questions are: Was the speaker simply refering to treatments that some people have tried, or is the AFID endorsing these treatments for thimerosal toxicity and/or autism? On what evidence is this based? Are Methyl B-12 and GSH, like chelation, cosidered standard of care in the military for mercury toxicity? Can you explain why autism families in the military have these treatments covered, (at thousands of dollars a year), even if they also have an autism diagnosis? Is this why military insurance will pay for visits to doctors in the Defeat Autism Now network, which advocates the use of these non-traditional treatments?
I eagerly await the replies from VHC and AFID officials, and will update this blog as soon as I hear anything.
Meanwhile, regardless of the Pentagon's positions on the above questions, we know for certain that DOD is concerned about the risk of injury from multiple vaccines.
In fact, it may even need to reconsider the practice.
"We have preliminary findings from one of our many on-going research studies that suggest a relationship between adverse events and multiple vaccinations exist," US Army Colonel Renata J. M. Engler, MD, director of the VHC, (a "collaborative network" of the Defense Department and the CDC), wrote to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) (HERE). "These findings will require validation, but heighten our concern for the current clinical practice of multiple vaccinations."
"The more drugs one is exposed to, the greater the likelihood of having an adverse event so as vaccine numbers increase, and (sic) we will see more people who have efficacy or safety issues," Col. Engler said. "The standard of care (ie, in the context of mixing vaccines) is to minimize drug exposures because of the recognition that the more drugs being used, the greater the chance of a reaction and potentially a serious adverse event."
I wonder when the CDC and America's pediatricians will issue an equally thoughtful and cautionary statement, instead of their usual reassurance that small children can easily get 100,000 shots at once, without a single "serious adverse event" among them.
PS: For a list of scientists and government leaders who called for more vaccine-autism research in 2008, please CLICK HERE.
It looks like the CDC may have missed a memo to itself on vaccine safety.
One very contentious issue in the vaccine-autism debate has been whether a certain subset of genetically susceptible children is unequipped to handle the early and intensive US immunization schedule – including kids like Hannah Poling, who developed autism after receiving nine vaccines at once.
The theory is that some people with abnormal immune or metabolic systems might become overtaxed by the fever, inflammation and/or other stresses sometimes caused by multiple vaccines.
Many doctors and scientists scoff at the notion that someone could be injured by getting too many shots at once. They say that people of all ages, including babies, can handle multiple exposures at any given moment.
For example, the CDC’s website says that simultaneous multiple immunizations are safe for children with “normal” immune systems. And Dr. Paul Offit, a prominent pediatrician and wealthy vaccine co-inventor, says that kids can handle simultaneous exposure to the antigens contained in 100,000 vaccines - without any harm coming to them.
So, the CDC says that multiple vaccines are safe for everyone (at least in infants).
But now, we learn that a collaborative program between the CDC and the Department of Defense says that multiple vaccines may not be safe for everyone (at least in adults being inoculated for military service).
“We have preliminary findings from one of our many on-going research studies that suggest a relationship between adverse events and multiple vaccinations exist. These findings will require validation, but heighten our concern for the current clinical practice of multiple vaccinations.”
That rather remarkable statement came from US Army Colonel Renata J. M. Engler, MD, director of the Vaccine Healthcare Centers Network (VHCN) a “collaborative network” of the Defense Department - and the CDC.
She went on to say this:
“The more drugs one is exposed to, the greater the likelihood of having an adverse event so as vaccine numbers increase, and (sic) we will see more people who have efficacy or safety issues.”
And later, this:
“The standard of care (ie, when mixing vaccines) is to minimize drug exposures because of the recognition that the more drugs being used, the greater the chance of a reaction and potentially a serious adverse event.”
Col. Engler’s candid statements (I’ve never heard anything like them from any other senior vaccine official), were included in a November 26 letter (HERE) to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). Maloney had written to inquire (HERE) about a 2007 VHCN presentation suggesting that 1-2 percent of all service members were suffering serious adverse effects from their shots.
I first reported on this presentation in August, (HERE) when someone alerted me to a Government Accounting Office report saying that VHCN and CDC officials “estimate that between 1 and 2 percent of immunized individuals may experience severe adverse events, which could result in disability or death. Some of these events may occur coincidentally following immunization, while others may truly be caused by immunization."
I had never heard of the VHCN, so I went to their website, where I found this (HERE) Power Point presentation, and this slide in particular: (HERE).
The slides suggested that, among active duty and reserve service members, up to 48,000 individuals may have sustained serious vaccine injuries which might need to be classified as "casualties,” and may require teaching "new skills" to some of those injured.
But Col. Engler wrote that the slides had been misinterpreted.
“Our program is not in a position to provide incidence data but rather to refine case definitions and research questions to address the serious and the rare adverse events questions,” she wrote.
The 1-2% figure was merely an estimate of “who may need an immunization healthcare consultation to address clinical questions raised,” she said.
“The consultation does not prove or disprove causality association but it is from these consultations that we have refined our understanding of the questions, a critical first step to future refinement of research agendas. It is our firm belief that increased research into side effects that are more severe but may be short duration, may help us understand more severe adverse events (more rare at 1 in 10-100,000). However, our work over the past years has been humbling in relation to the knowledge gaps.”
And what about the slide mentioning that up to 48,000 service members might require ”new skills” following vaccine injury?
“This statistic refers to the potential number of service members, experiencing more serious side effects (not serious disease with prolonged duration), that may need a medical consultation about next dose and/or pre-treatment to reduce the severity of the side effects, etc.,” Col. Engler explained, (I think).
So what does any of this have to do with autism? Perhaps nothing. As Col. Engler herself wrote: “The belief that vaccines are safe to mix is based largely on pediatric experience and with a much more limited spectrum of vaccines.” (In other words, apples and oranges, here folks).
Now, it’s hard to imagine how 35-to-40 or more shots in the US childhood schedule could be “much more limited” than the military’s regime. But then again, babies don’t get vaccinated against anthrax and smallpox.
But it’s also hard to imagine that there might be a “relationship between adverse events and multiple vaccinations” in adults healthy enough to fight a war, and yet, among babies and infants with immature immune systems and developing brains, the practice is universally harmless – even for kids like Hannah Poling who had an underlying mitochondrial dysfunction.
In the meantime, let’s hope the DOD and the CDC and get their message straight. If they want to convince parents that multiple vaccines might be risky for some soldiers but safe for all little kids, well, good luck.
Or maybe, the government is finally going to look into the percentage of people (however small) who might be genetically programmed against the ability to withstand more than one or two shots at any given time.
As Col. Engler notes, more work is needed in this regard: “The recommendation for more research on subpopulation risk factors in relation to multiple vaccine combinations has been included in the Institute of Medicine Report on Multiple Vaccines - (HERE.)”
Lin Wessels has written an open letter to Senator John McCain asking him to keep fighting for our children with autism. Senator McCain made some very powerful statements during his campaigne about autism, our children, and our families. We need to let him know we still need his help! Please visit "Please Keep Fighting the Good Fight" and add your signature to the letter!
Dr. Ken Stoller is a Warrior for all of our children with autism and for humanity as a whole. Please visit Bodies In Rebellion and show your support for change by signing onto Dr. Stoller's letter to President-Elect Obama!
Thank you Dr. Stoller for all you do for our children. Autism Salutes You!
Dear Government, AAP, CDC, FDA, NIH, TRICARE, and Anyone Else I Am Forgetting???
I BLAME YOU!!! For the episode taking place in my home right now! We had a relatively peaceful Thanksgiving weekend until about an hour ago and my youngest son is having the biggest meltdown of his life. And, yes, I am taking a couple minutes out to "live blog" this situation. There is NOT enough therapy available, and NOT enough services. Did I happen to mention that we lost a provider this week and the agency has yet to find a replacement??? Oooppps on them!!! Too many changes all at once and immediate regression! Damnit all to hell!
He'll probably end up vomiting and I'll yet again clean it up. Or my husband will. He does better with the vomit, I do better with the diarrhea. Yep! Nice end to the weekend. Words can not describe my feelings right now nor those of the warrior that just transformed.
Good God!!! What does it take??? For people to wake UP?
Maybe I shouldn't post this as it is "not correct" - I could care. This is real life. This is the life of children with autism. This is the life of our families.
One single vaccine (at one visit) put my child over the edge, and pushed him into the world of autism. He was on the road to recovery and it will be over my dead body that he will not fully recover. Momma Sed...
Heroes With Handicaps is a 501 (c) 3 which provides financial assistance to military families seeking treatment for their child (ren) with autism not covered by Tricare. Please visit Heroes With Handicaps to learn more and to pick up an application if you need assistance.
If you are interested in hosting a fundraiser for Heroes With Handicaps, please contact Angela at autismrr at gmail dot com
Check back soon to learn how you can purchase an Autism Salutes lapel pin. Every single penny generated from the sale of these pins goes directly to Heroes With Handicaps.
Lee Silsby accepts Tricare! Save $20 on your first order. Click, read, and save!
Because I am turning Autism Salutes into somewhat of a personal blog, yet still autism and military related; I feel the need to clarify that our beloved autism organizations linked here have only endorsed the letter to Secretary Gates (the very first post) and that my views and feelings in any other posts do not necessarily reflect those of our autism organizations.
Endorsing Organizations
On behalf of children and families everywhere impacted by autism, I would like to thank from the deepest parts of my soul, the following organizations who have endorsed what I was able to put together "With a Little Help From My Friends". Words could never fully express the gratitude I feel. Ang
