March, 2014
My knowledge of the true risks and harm vaccinations can cause comes first hand. I had an adverse reaction to the Tdap vaccination 2 years ago given to protect against whooping cough. It was six months after my first child Wyle was born. I wouldn’t wish my experience on anyone, especially a small child or baby. I can’t imagine what it would have been like seeing Wyle experience blindness, vomiting, severe brain swelling, and spinal inflammation so intensely he’s unable to walk.
Unable to urinate, or eat anything for days, or have a regular appetite for months, even worse, to forget who he was and to lose time and memory. To be in and out of consciousness for weeks because of brain lesions that developed, and then to be told it could be Brain cancer. This is what I experienced from a “safe” vaccine. My first diagnosis was Aseptic Meningitis but as new symptoms emerged the doctors did not have a clue as to what was going on with me, they seemed baffled, then came the possibility of a brain tumor.
It was 7 terrifying months of being in and out of the ER, 4 spinal taps, countless blood work, 6 MRIs, a brain biopsy, a lengthy stay in the hospital and 2 separate weeks of intravenous steroid treatments. My final diagnosis in May of 2012 was ADEM (acute disseminating encephalomyelitis) from the Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) vaccination I received on November 9, 2011. I was advised by my neurologist (who was also Head of Neurology) to never get another vaccination again.
I can get over the physical pain, it was excruciating but what I am still having trouble accepting is the time I lost with my son. It should have been a magical time, I should have been enjoying every moment, instead my body felt like it was breaking down and I was losing my mind. There were days that I was in so much pain I couldn’t get out of bed, or days that I just lost, I have no recollection of, they are just gone, and I feel cheated.
I am not anti-vaccination. But given my experience and what I know now, I choose not to continue with Wyle’s vaccinations and I will choose not to vaccinate any other child I may have in the future. I would rather have my child treated for what use to be routine childhood illnesses like the measles or chickenpox than experience what I did from an adverse reaction to a vaccine. Vaccines have never made any intuitive sense to me and I regret allowing myself to be pressured and shamed by a nurse into something I was not okay with.
I don’t judge individuals or parents who make the decision to vaccinate similarly I don’t judge those who choose not to vaccinate because the dangers are very real. I never imagined anything like that could have happened to me, but it did, I have now had an awakening. I am no longer ignorant when it comes to vaccine safety. I do not trust any health care worker who says there’s nothing to worry about, they are either ignorant themselves or telling a blatant lie.
There is no way to determine how an individual will react to a vaccination, who is susceptible to having an adverse reaction or how serious it can be. I’m not going to apologize for not willing to sacrifice my child for the greater good.
There is a ton of medical literature on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, peer reviewed, by doctors for and against vaccines. There are also countless testimonies from families who have experienced vaccine damage; their stories can not be denied and should not be ignored. I urge people, especially parents to take the time to do some research. Read the package inserts and learn about the ingredients in vaccines, listen to your intuition and don’t allow anyone to pressure or bully you into doing something you don’t feel comfortable with or that doesn’t feel right. There is no vaccine compensation program in Canada, no pharmaceutical company will be held accountable for you or your loved ones’ injuries, in the end you are the one that is going to have to live with the consequences. I say no thank you.
Yvonne Dahlem – Canada