What would you do to protect your children? How would you feel if something threatened their health and you didn’t know how to prevent it, or even what caused it? These are questions I had to ask myself when my healthy infant children inexplicably developed chronic illnesses that would plague them for many years.
Eighteen years ago, I was blessed to give birth to twins, a son and a daughter. In thanks, I vowed to do everything in my power to protect and care for them. One of the ways I believed I was fulfilling this was to make sure they got every recommended vaccine on time. But their reactions to each immunization were alarming and excruciating. My mother, herself a mother of five and a 20-year veteran emergency room nurse, recognized the concerning signs and symptoms. Their health began to spiral downward, leading to seven ear tube surgeries and 44 ear infections between them in the first three years of life. But that was the least of it. Although differently affected, both children also experienced noticeable regression in previously acquired and documented skills or demeanor.
When I suggested to their pediatrician -- on multiple occasions -- that their conditions could be due to the vaccines based on published research I had gathered, I was dismissed and intimidated. In fact, it seemed as if few professionals seemed concerned or cared about my family's worsening nightmare, making us feel shame on top of helplessness. I wondered how other parents who had watched their own beautiful, healthy children undergo such heartbreaking transformations --- and whose number was growing every day -- coped with the callous "these things just happen" answers to their desperate questions.
I understand the impact that serious chronic health conditions can have on a family’s ability to enjoy life, to achieve financial security, and to fulfill their dreams. Today, after years of expensive therapies and alternative treatments, my children are as healthy and thriving as I can hope for, but I continue to observe the scientific neglect that placed them in danger in the first place. It is not enough for medical science to consider only the treatment of the rapidly increasing number of chronically ill children – we must understand the causal factors so that these conditions can be prevented.
A decade ago, I founded the Children's Medical Safety Research Institute with the mission of funding medical research, sponsoring medical conferences, and developing free resources to identify and increase awareness of potential root causes of chronic autoimmune, inflammatory and cognitive disorders.
Many of the studies we have funded have been ground-breaking, but in order to continue, we need your help. CMSRI relies on public support to maximize its funding of research by leading scientists worldwide. We draw no salaries; rather, our own philanthropic commitment to the foundation enables 100% of all funds donated to be applied to research.
So, I ask you to please consider donating, even just a small amount. Your investment can help end today's epidemic of childhood chronic illness and ensure happy, healthy families for generations to come.