Everlee's Story

Editor's Note: A couple of months ago, we heard about a five-week-old infant in an ICU here in the Twin Cities who had been diagnosed with pertussis , and was battling for her life.  A few weeks ago, the mother of that strong-willed little girl, who fought the pertussis tooth-and-nail and won, got in touch with the Minnesota Department of Health asking for ways she could share her story of a life forever changed by a vaccine-preventable disease. Emily Stevenson's story is below.

UPDATE: CBS affiliate WCCO led the news tonight (2/9/2012) with Emily and Everlee's story. Click the link to watch it.

Everlee, five weeks old, in the ICU

I am the mother of a beautiful four month old baby girl.  When our daughter was 5 weeks old she began having a mild cough.  Within a few days her coughing spells became much more frequent and intense, she developed a fever, and started having apnea episodes where she would stop breathing for several moments.  It became clear that we were dealing with something very serious.  

We brought her to the doctor where our fears were confirmed: she was diagnosed with pertussis (whooping cough).  We were surprised at how this could happen, as everyone in our family had received the Tdap (diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus) vaccine (Editor's note: Tdap is the pertussis booster for teens and adults; Dtap is the pertussis vaccine course for infants and children).  There was a confirmed case of pertussis in our older daughter's classroom, and although a fluke, we learned that it was possible for the bacteria that causes pertussis to have traveled home on her clothes.  Our baby daughter was at the time too young to receive the DPT vaccine and was vulnerable to being exposed to pertussis.  

She was hospitalized right away, and as her coughing spells became more intense and worrisome she was moved into the intensive care unit.  There was very little that the doctors could do for her as she weathered through the peak phase of the illness.  Pertussis causes intense coughing spells along with other respiratory complications, and is particularly dangerous for infants because of their immature respiratory system.  Our baby had trouble clearing away the thick mucus in her airway and was continuously deprived of oxygen.  The illness also placed considerable stress on her small heart due to the pressure that had built in her chest. Unfortunately, these consequences are typical for an infant with pertussis.  

The weeks that we spent in the hospital were very difficult.  Our baby fought hard against a respiratory illness that her body was not ready to handle.  Each day we watched her struggle for breath, unable to eat or sleep, and have to linger in pain.  We are thankful for her strong will and for the good medical care that she received.  After three weeks in the ICU her symptoms began to wane indicating that she was past the peak phase of the illness.  We were able to bring her home to recover.  Her cough will last for several more weeks, but we are grateful for every day that she shows improvement. 

Everlee caught pertussis from an unvaccinated child

The reality is that pertussis can be largely prevented by the Dtap vaccine.  There are several children in our older daughter's grade level whose parents have chosen to opt out of having them receive the Dtap and other vaccines.  After this experience, we view their choice as part of a frightening trend.  In reality, what our baby went through could have been prevented.  

Parents who choose not to have their children vaccinated fail to realize that they are actually putting infants, and others who are vulnerable, at a high risk.  We have learned that because of this trend the incidence rate of pertussis in Minnesota has grown considerably over the past few years.  We are hopeful that for the safety of individual families and the community that more parents will heed the advice of medical professionals and make the choice to have their children vaccinated.

From Anti-Vax to Pro-Vax: One Mom's Story

By Chrissy Ruis

When my oldest child was born in 2005, we faithfully followed the immunization schedule, knowing nothing of the controversy until a several months later, when I discovered internet forums. I have always been into natural health and foods, so when I first learned about all of the scary-sounding ingredients in vaccines, I was alarmed. And then when my son (eight months old at the time) came down with a mild case of pertussis, I was angry that he got all of his shots “for nothing.”

I dove deep into the anti-vax scene, visiting countless websites, reading all of the books I could get my hands on. I read the package inserts, medical journals, and the CDC’s Pink Book, until I convinced myself that I was making an informed choice not to vaccinate. After all, I wasn’t vaccinated and I was perfectly healthy; my father didn’t believe in vaccinations, but he never really told me why. I became an active poster on some parenting forums, taking every opportunity to share my “research”; I even created my own vaccine information web page.

A couple of years later, when I was pregnant with my second child, my husband and I became very concerned with our son’s development; he was lagging behind and just seemed so…different from other toddlers. Our pediatrician was of an older generation and didn’t seem all that concerned, but it just kept nagging at me. My husband and I agreed to give it a little more time to see if he grew out of  “it,” not really knowing for sure what “it” was until soon after, on a mid-October afternoon.

Let me preface by saying I never watch talk shows, which is why it is so odd that, while waiting for my husband to finish getting ready to for an afternoon at the park, I happened to watch Oprah. Her guest that day was Jenny McCarthy, whom I only knew from the ’90’s dating show on MTV, Singled Out. Why was she on Oprah? Turns out, she was promoting her new book, Louder Than Words. The moment came where she began describing her son’s characteristic and it hit me “That’s it: autism!!” Sure, Bobby had relatively normal speech for his 2.75 years, but it was just something about the way he spoke. Everything else was spot-on: the repetitive behavior, the spinning objects, the lack of interaction, the sensory issues; it all fit. He was due for his next well-visit in another month, so I brought it up then with the pediatrician. Like I said, he was an older doctor (in practice longer than I had been alive), and was quite up front with his lack of knowledge about autism… which meant we were pretty much on our own to figure out how to proceed.

Just after his third birthday, Bobby was evaluated, given a diagnosis of autism, and enrolled in a full-day ABA program. At first I was relieved because my worries had finally been validated. Then I was angry and convinced that my child had been damaged by the vaccines he had gotten before we stopped after twelve months. Obviously, I had no intention of poisoning my newborn daughter, too.

Naturally, as the two worlds intersect, I got caught up in the biomedical movement, convinced I would “heal” Bobby by “detoxifying” him. The poor kid was on a restrictive diet, given countless supplements, clay baths. Epson salt rubs, you name it. He did make a lot of progress, to the point where he was one of the highest-functioning kids in his school. Arrogantly, I believed it was because I was so dedicated to biomedical treatments. Once he aged-out of his school, I decided to home school Bobby, as our school district had very few accommodations for him. I continued with biomedical treatments, except we were doing a lot less because money was a lot tighter than before. Home schooling was good at first, but gradually it began to take its toll; I was worn out and exhausted dealing with Bobby’s behaviors 24/7.

Then, last December brought the birth of our third child. We had a very serious health scare when I passed group b streptococcus to him during labor. I got the recommended IV antibiotics, but got to the hospital too late to get the full four-hour course before he was born. Obviously, it wasn’t vaccine-related, but it did cause me to re-evaluate my ideas about health care… including vaccines. When I’d go to the NICU to nurse my new baby, I’d look around at these tiny babies, some of them no bigger than a Barbie doll… and I was in awe of how science has advanced to where micro-preemies now actually have a shot at life.

How a simple antibiotic spared my baby from becoming very sick, or even dying.

Then it hit me that the same could be said for vaccines. I quickly tried to push that thought away, but I couldn’t escape that little epiphany. But how could I suddenly consider vaccinating? My oldest child hadn’t been vaccinated since twelve months, and my three-year-old had never been vaccinated. I still couldn’t think of vaccines as being anything but “toxins,” but I suddenly felt driven to look more closely at the pro-vaccine side.

Seth Mnookin’s book, The Panic Virus, had just been released; it sounded interesting, so I gave it a read. Wow. It made me seriously consider at least selectively vaccinating. He cites Dr. Paul Offit quite a bit, so I grudgingly decided to read his books, too. I devoured the books in one week, and during that time, every anti-vax argument I had began to crumble away.

I realized I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was. Mnookin and Offit’s books completely deconstruct every aspect of the anti-vax and biomedical movements, until there is just no leg for them to stand on.

Realizing how wrong I had been, how easily I could have allowed my children to become seriously ill, and how much money I wasted on biomedical scam…I was so angry with myself. Unfortunately, with everything else going on in my struggle to balance my children’s needs, home schooling, and coping with a severely colicky newborn, I cracked. Literally. I had a mental breakdown and needed to be medicated. Money was tight, so the only way we could afford the co-pays for my medication and therapy sessions was to cut out Bobby’s supplements and the specialty foods to keep him on his diet. I was terrified that he would regress and lose all of his progress, but guess what happened: nothing! He got neither better nor worse, which means we had been throwing money down the drain for nearly three years.

Next came the moment of truth: bringing my kids to be vaccinated. First up was my three-year-old. It was traumatic for her, but we got her up-to-date. I had originally planned on a much delayed schedule for my new baby, but I realized there was just no logical reason to delay, so we went ahead with the recommended schedule. They are both fine and developing typically. With Bobby, I hadn’t planned on getting him any vaccines, but once we decided to send him to public school (we moved to a new district with a better special ed department), I knew I didn’t want to send him without any protection, lest he bring home preventable diseases to the new baby. He got the few he needed to be up-to-date for school and despite my dreadful fears, guess what happened: nothing! He didn’t regress, and if anything, he actually had a developmental leap in his social skills (coincidentally, of course!).

Maybe, just maybe, vaccines had absolutely nothing to do with his autism; he never had a regression or anything, just developmental delays that, two more babies later, I can recognize.

I became very angry at the whole anti-vax movement. Angry at the subtle sleight-of-hand and the exploitation of concerned parents. Angry for the desperate parents of autistic children, who are being scammed like I was. Angry at myself for encouraging so many others to stop vaccinating. I’m slowly making amends, though. I am vocal about my change in beliefs and can (and do!) debate circles around any anti-vaxxer.  The kids are all up-to-date on their vaccines, and are as happy and healthy as ever.

I even got my first vaccinations, too.


Editor's Note: If you are a parent who would like to share your story about why you vaccinate, please contact us at momswhovax AT gmail.com

Mom to Mom: Pam's Story

Pam's son Zachary

I received all of my vaccinations on time as a child growing up. My mother was a medical technologist and had taken blood from a patient infected with measles. She had seen these diseases first hand. I began to look more deeply into vaccines when I was pregnant with my first child, during the fall/winter of 2009. I knew the H1N1 flu vaccine was recommended, especially for pregnant women, and I was considering whether I should get the H1N1 vaccine as well as the regular flu vaccine. The first thing I did was talk to family and friends who were pregnant or had been pregnant to find out what they had done. I spoke to people who were pro-vaccine as well as people who were anti-vaccine. My own doctor's strong recommendation as well as hearing about pregnant women who had died from H1N1 led me to get both flu vaccines while pregnant. After my decision to vaccinate myself, I began further research about vaccines for my baby. I found that a lot of what I heard and read from the anti-vaccine side had a strong basis in fear and "what if" thinking. What if vaccines cause autism? What if vaccines are causing the rise in allergies among children? While these possibilities triggered what I would call the "fear mind," my rational mind was able to look at the research available online, much of which I found through Ashley's blog (Science for Sale). I saw that the research overwhelmingly supported the safety of vaccines. I could also see that the pro-vaccine argument was research-based, history proven, and logical. In addition to online research, I questioned pediatricians whenever I had the opportunity. I spoke with 5 different pediatricians who all recommended vaccinating without reserve. They said they vaccinated their own children and grandchildren. They spoke of the dangers of not vaccinating. We decided to vaccinate our son Zachary, and he has received all his vaccinations on time starting from the day he was born. He has been extremely healthy and the only reaction to the vaccines has been a couple hours of being tired and cranky. I do still get nervous when I bring him to get vaccinated. I wish the doctors gave more information about what he is being vaccinated for and the ingredients in the vaccine and the safety of those ingredients. Regarding those details, I had to find out the information on my own. I understand doctors and nurses are busy and weary of the vaccine debate, but I think it would help parents who are nervous about vaccines to have more access to information. 

Regarding my interaction with the anti-vaccine community, I have had a hard time with this because I have three cousins who I was very close with growing up who are not vaccinated. Their father is a chiropractor and for whatever reason did not trust that vaccines were safe. They are now all having babies of their own, and the vaccine issue has surfaced in discussion and emails. The discussion can get contentious, and I don't want to create a bad relationship with family members, so I try to relay the pro-vaccine argument as clearly and objectively as possible. Although I have not expressed my personal fears to my cousins for fear of ruining our relationship completely, I do fear for my son who is almost 11 months and has not received all his vaccinations yet. I want my children to be able to play with and know their cousins, but as a mother I know I have to protect my child in the best way I can. I would feel responsible if he contracted a vaccine-preventable illness from people who I knew were not vaccinated. I know that I'm taking a risk when my son is around these family members and its an issue that I still struggle with. 


If you are a parent who chooses to vaccinate and would like to share your story, please send us your story. We are also always looking for cute pictures of your vaccinated baby or child for our "Cute Vaccinated Kid of the Week"!

Measles Herd Immunity in Minnesota is Gone

Yesterday, Minnesota Public Radio reported that public health authorities are saying that 85% of two-year-olds in Minnesota have been vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella.

It's official: herd immunity is gone.

Herd immunity dies when vaccination rates dip below about 95%. If your child is unvaccinated, or has not received his or her booster, this is a potentially dangerous situation.

What Should I Do if I Live in Minnesota and...


My child is too young to be vaccinated: the outbreak is currently taking place in Hennepin County, most likely Minneapolis. While about half of the infected children are from the Somali community, the other half are from the community at large. We suggest staying away from public places where young children congregate, within reason. Skip that trip to the Children's Museum for now. Take a raincheck on playdates if you can't be sure everyone there has been vaccinated. If you must take your child to the pediatrician, try to stay in the "newborn" section (most pediatric practices have this) and cover your child's car seat with a blanket.


My child has not been vaccinated, but is old enough for the MMR: Get your child vaccinated. Today. Hennepin County has been holding free immunization clinics in Minneapolis that have been poorly attended. The details are below:


Sunday, March 27, 1-4pm, Children's Hospitals & Clinics, Minneapolis Speciality Center, 2530 Chicago Avenue South, third floor. 


Families with or without health insurance may attend these clinics; those with insurance should bring their insurance cards, those without insurance will not be charged for their vaccinations.

MMR shots also are available to the public at all regularly scheduled Hennepin County Immunization Services walk-in clinics.  MMR shots also are generally available, by appointment, from most family practice and pediatrician medical offices.


My child has been vaccinated, but is age four or under: Hennepin County is advising all parents of children who have received the MMR vaccine to schedule his or her booster--typically due at the four-year physical--now. For example, one of our children is turning four next month. He'll be going in to get his booster next week. One of us has an eighteen-month-old who received her MMR at her 12-month appointment; she will also be getting her booster next week.