There are several things about this world that really aggravate me to an almost hostile point. It’s the kind of place that I no longer have the patience to listen to the other side of things because I bring an undeniable fact to the table that cannot be discarded. Welcome to five minutes on the anti-vax train wreck, y’all.
Most of my readers know that upon giving my twin daughters their 18 month shots, 2 days later they began to fall over when they walked. Within a week, they were fully paralyzed from the waist down. During the second week, they lost 75% of the use of their arms and hands. It got darker by the day. After 6 clueless doctors, the seventh announced they have Guillain-Barre syndrome after performing a spinal tap.
GBS effects 1 in 100,000 people. It can cause paralysis in limbs, lungs and facial muscles. The second huge side of this is it strips the myelin sheath (your nerve covering) throught your body. So picking them up or bathing them or simply touching them would shoot icy hot pain through their little 23 month old bodies. Most recover as full as possible though alot of older people seem to have side effects the rest of their lives. “Luckily”, my girls were young during their paralysis.
It lasted about 6 months, including 3 weeks of hospitalization. What followed was a very busy year of rehabilitation and the re-learning how to walk. This entire process was hands down the most difficult thing I have lived through as a human being.
And so as can be imagined, from that time frame forward, I have rejected the continuation of any more immunizations, including, in my opinion, the useless flu shot. Any and all of the doctors that have asked us “are your daughters immunizations up to date?”, when I say no and briefly explain, they get it. Nobody questions my choice or puts their agenda in my face. They understand and even if they didn’t, they wouldn’t try and pressure for more needles.
And so we go about our lives. My girls both have an autoimmune disease and receive monthly treatment to strengthen their systems. Did the GBS/immunizations cause this? I don’t know and I don’t question it. It is what it is. However, when the topic comes up (and mostly only when I see something about it on social media), as much as I want to remain silent, the truth inside me screams and to shut one of these vaxxer lovers mouths gives me a sense of relief.
Similar to abortion, transgenderism and whatever other topics there are that put great divides between humanity, the vax/don’t vax war is real. And brutal. The ones that believe every parent should vaccinate their child or if not, they must keep their children at home are very common. They don’t look at other sides. Then there was my favorite rebuttal of “well, if your kid is immunized then what are you worried about?” That kinda got debunked when it’s known that there are different strains and even the most up to date child cannot be completely impervious to it.
Then, of course, there are those like me that might comment it’s a parents choice, whether this or that, and lets just move on. To which the vaxxers tear into those people with daggers and malicious words, just a general ball of anger. It is then that I waltz in and drop the bomb which is my daughters story in a brief manner.. and all becomes silent on the vaxxers side. The anti-vaxxers reach out and express sorrow and sympathy. And then I move on. That is until I see yet another Global story promoting division in regards to this specific topic.
Life on social media will thwart you and kill you. I get it. I’m not some triggered troll or snowflake. But this is a battle I cannot sit out on. It’s too close to home. You wanna vaccinate your kids and get your yearly flu shot at Shoppers Drug Mart? Do what you wanna do. I will continue to not give my kids any more immunizations nor will I receive a flu shot, ever. I know peace is a pipe dream but my goodness, I wish it were a reality.
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