Blessed with Anthony: To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate?

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate?

All is well in the Black house! All our children are happy and healthy, in today's world you can't ask for more. We have had the common cold and sore throats, but other than that we have been doing well.

Anthony has had some colds with the typical congestion for Anthony. Even though the congestion is typical for Anthony I have been on the edge with all the H1N1 news that is out there. One of the first symptoms of H1N1 are cold symptoms with fever and body aches, so the common cold in any of my children put me on guard to watch for H1N1, but more on the worried side then guarded.

As the cases of H1N1 peaked in our county and the news was we had the highest rate of H1N1 in the state I became concerned enough to learn more about the vaccine. While I researched what I could about the vaccine the cases of H1N1 started to take lives in our area. I also started to hear more about the number of children in the hospital infected with H1N1 and all the complications these children were having, so I decided that I would like all the members of our family to have the shot, but I wasn't convinced the nasal was a good choice for any of our children. The problem was the nasal was all that was available with no sign of the shot being available. I decided to let it go as it was nothing I could control, but pray and hope if it was meant to be we would get it.

A couple of days later after we had delivered everyone to their schools, Don & I were at home dealing with the tasks left over from our busy morning when our phone rang. It was a familiar voice asking if our family would like to have the H1N1 shot. I was shocked and questioned if they really had the shot, not the mist and they had enough for each of us? She said they did have enough for our whole family and it was the shot, but we had to be there in an hour and a half. So, Don & I went in separate vehicles to round up our children at three different schools. We made it and got our shots! Today is the 16th day from us getting the vaccine, so we are now immune! I am more relaxed, but still taking aggressive steps to help spreading any germs. The rules in our house are to wash as soon as you get in the house even though a squirt of Purell was used in the car. I have taught our children to use their elbows and hips to open doors, sneeze into the inside of their shirts, drink lots of water. Did I say wash? We wash and wash and wash, that includes any place under five foot that little hands touch.

I sleep better at night knowing we have done and continue to do all we can to keep our children healthy, but especially protecting from H1N1. While any of our children are at risk for complications from H1N1, the greatest risks are to children like Anthony who have underlying health conditions.

When I am asked by other parents what they should do? I reply with "Do your research on legitimate sites, talk to your child's Doctor and do what you feel is right for your family. Too also take every precaution to prevent the spread of germs by staying home when your ill (no don't go buy your own meds) wash you hands and wash them again."

Stay well everyone.

1 comment:

ColleenNovember 14, 2009 at 10:21 PM
That's great to hear that you were able to find the shots. Now you can relax a little. I have heard that we reached the peak of the swine flu in October, so that's good news. Stay well!
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The start of our journey

Our family was blessed to have seven beautiful, healthy
daughters. So our excitement was beyond the norm when we
were told through ultrasound that our 8th child would be a boy!Wow a boy! As a mom I was very excited about forming that special mother and son bond, the kind of bond my husband Don was forming with our daughters. April 25, 2003: life changed more for our family then we could have ever expected. Our son Anthony entered the world 4 weeks early weighing 6lbs, 18 inches. He was perfect in every way possible, stealing the hearts of his adoring sisters who couldn’t wait to get him home to join our family.
The first evening home turned bittersweet. It occurred to me that Anthony had not wet a diaper, he had no desire to nurse, he was sleepier than normal, and his legs were cold with a slight blue tone to them. We returned to Sacred Heart Children’s hospital where an echocardiogram was done, which showed us that Anthony’s aorta was closing and only open heart surgery would save his life! On April 29, at only 4 days
old, I said good-bye to my little boy as he was taken into surgery. The wait was grueling, five hours later Don & I were reunited with our son. The doctors were very guarded as they explained to us that Anthony was not out of the woods, the next 24 hours would tell. But when I saw pink toes and touched those warm toes, I knew he would be fine.
Seven days later he was fine; he was so fine that we were being moved from ICU to regular pediatric. But before we moved our doctor came into the room to tell us our son’s blood tests showed that Anthony had Downsyndrome. Down syndrome is the most common occurring genetic disorder in America. Approximately 1 in 750 babies are born with this disorder.Like most parents of a child born with a disability, Don and I dealt with grief and fear. What would the future hold for Anthony? What level of impairment would he have? Would I have those special mother and son moments? Would I be able to dance with my son at his wedding? Will my son grow to be a strong man?

The Creed of Babies with Down Syndrome

My face may be different
But my feelings the same
I laugh and I cry
And I take pride in my gains
I was sent here among you
To teach you to love
As God in the heavens
Looks down from above
To Him I'm no different
His love knows no bounds
It's those here among you
In cities and towns
That judge me by standards
That man has imparted
But this family I've chosen
Will help me get started
For I'm one of the children
So special and few
That came here to learn
The same lessons as you
That love is acceptance
It must come from the heart
We all have the same purpose
Though not the same start
The Lord gave me life
To live and embrace
And I'll do it as you do
But at my own pace

Rare Blue Lobsters

Daughter's a rarity to treasure
By David Falcone Boston Herald
Saturday, August 6, 2005

Couple of interesting items in the news the past few days that might have slipped under the radar but are worth further review.Both rarities for sure: blue lobsters and Billy Mueller.The blue lobster - one in 2 million - results from a genetic anomaly. An extra protein creates the cerulean hue. Like a golfer's hole in one, a blue lobster is cherished by any fisherman lucky enough to pull one out of the sea. A prince among lobsters, if you will, and often thrown back out of reverence.And Billy Mueller, the soft-spoken third basemen for the Red Sox. He works hard and produces and then goes home to his family and forgets he's a baseball player. He never complains. He does not seek attention by growing his hair too long or asking out of a game because he's having a bad day. He brings honor to a gathering of fools. What are the odds of that?And so I dream of what I will tell my 2-year-old daughter one day. How special she is. How rare - one in 1,000. An extra chromosome making three where there is usually a pair. A total of 47 in a cell where there are usually 46. An extra chromosome of perfectly good genetic material. An extra bit of life entwined on a helix that continues to mystify us all.How will I tell her that babies with Down syndrome every day are determined by doctors and mothers and fathers to be a ``mistake,'' a ``burden,'' a malevolence that must be eliminated.In fact, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology tells us that many pregnant women receive only negative information from doctors when a prenatal screening indicates the possibility of Down syndrome. Other studies show that the abortion rate of babies with Down syndrome is as high as 90 percent after such screenings. More babies with Down syndrome are being aborted than are being born.Out of ignorance we are killing angels. The knowing and loving gaze of these children with beautiful almond-shaped eyes is seen less and less because they will not see the light of day.That's why I sit with my daughter and watch baseball. Happy that she's alive and learning the greatest game ever invented, a perfectly beautiful game, with all its mistaken measurements and odd configurations, played by rare individuals.I read her books and teach her colors, such as blue, for instance. The sky is blue and the sea reflects its hope and promise. And beneath the sea's dappled reflections, an occasional rare creature that is a symbol of wonder and beauty we preserve rather than destroy.What will I tell my daughter when she is old enough to understand?I will tell her about blue lobsters and Billy Mueller.Just my thought. Our kids are fine it is the perception of them that is the problem.

Blessed with Anthony

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate?

1 comment:

The start of our journey

Anthony

The Creed of Babies with Down Syndrome

Followers

Rare Blue Lobsters

Watch the video to see Helen's interview

One of Helen's favorite Down syndrome awareness videos

Waiting on the world to change!