Vienna, Virginia http://www.909shot.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
#9119
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Protecting the health and
informed consent rights of children since 1982.”
KWilliams Note: This is a note from long time NVIC member,
Carol Meyer of Kansas. Her daughter Laura was injured by the dpt vaccine at 6
weeks of age and died following an MMR injection on May 22, 1995.
>From Carol Meyer:
Today would have been Laura’s 18th
birthday. I thought I would share with all
of you how she is still touching people’s lives. A few weeks ago there was a meeting for all the teachers of the
Wichita Diocese. There were a lot of
break out sessions and one of them was on inclusion. (including children with
disabilities in regular class rooms)
Bonnie was Laura’s teacher at our Catholic School the year Laura
died. Laura went there 2 days a week.
Bonnie did get a few of the facts wrong that I will put in italics. Below is
what Bonnie wrote and read during that session:
When I first heard I would have Julie in my classroom for
5th grade, I was very excited,but a little apprehensive.
I had had an inclusion student before, much like Julie,
& felt a little like I had failed her somehow, so taking on Julie made me a
little nervous. I guess I felt like
maybe someone else could have done more for her. Then, I started thinking and praying about it.
Laura was loud, active and beautiful and a total joy to
have around. She always smiled when she
heard my voice & it make my day.
She smiled when she heard ANY voice, but I liked to pretend it was just
me.
She thought “I” was hilarious giving a Spelling Test, so
it made it my favorite part of the week.
She was really laughing at them because she didn’t actually have to TAKE
the test.
ANYWAY, I could fill you in on all the memories, but it
would take all day and you just had to be there to know the things I learned
and the way I grew spending a year with Laura.
There was such an unconditional love both ways. Between her and the kids too.
One day in April, Laura had an epileptic seizure in the
classroom while her aide had gone home to get something she had forgotten. I was so scared. I sent a student for the nurse, and by the time she got there,
Laura was coming around, but I, and the kids, were really shook. After that, the nurse came in and spoke to
the kids in depth about Laura’s problems and how she had been fine until her 18
month MMR vaccine (really it was her DPT at 6 weeks) She had a reaction, which resulted in brain damage and epilepsy. The nurse taught us to handle it if it
happened again, but it didn’t. In May,
Laura suffered from pneumonia and died of a seizure she suffered while trying
to recover. She would have been a
Senior at Bishop Carroll this year.
I found out at 7:45 in the morning and had to tell my kids
at 7:55 before we went to mass. We all
cried all the way through mass. What an
experience. Two days later we all went
to the funeral together. Another
experience. A week later our class
dedicated a tree to the church in Laura’s memory. It’s still growing out there right now.
God taught us all about unconditional love that year. A lesson I will never forget.
When the time came for me to decide about Julie, it took
no time at all. I was ready to learn
whatever I could from her. I still didn’t
know how I could make her a better person by including her, but I sure know how
she could make all of us better people by including us.
Julie is a sophomore now.
I still ask my own sophomore daughter often how she is doing in High
School. She doesn’t see her much. but
says she does often enough to know she’s still around. I don’t know how much those kids are still
blessing Julie, but I know that for the rest of her life, she’ll be blessing
all of us.
Never shut our an inclusion child. You are missing the best learning and loving
experience of your life.
The Power of the Powerless
love to you all
Carol
News@909shot.com is a free service of the National Vaccine
Information
Center and is supported through membership donations. Learn more about
vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed
consent rights http://www.909shot.com
To sign up for a free e-mail subscription
http://www.909shot.com/emaillist.htm
To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to news-request@909shot.com
and type UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the email.
NVIC is funded through individual membership donations and
does not receive government funding. Barbara Loe Fisher, President and
Co-founder. NOTE: This is not an
interactive e-mail list. Please do not respond to messages.
ALL
INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE
KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED
AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO
VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.