Many families still make an active selection not to immunize their child from preventable disease , despite increased awareness and even some state apply required inoculation with no exemption .
A circumstances of the disputation against compulsory vaccination policies stems from the matter of free choice and private liberty . However , as this story explains , it is much more than a interrogative sentence of case-by-case choice . In a community where muckle vaccination has lease place , a " herd immunity " develops . This think of most members of the community are protect against that disease because there are very few opportunities for an outbreak . This is peculiarly important for those with an impaired immune system .
This alphabetic character comes fromSaving Scarlett , a web log indite by the family of a 4 - year - older fille combat acute lymphoblastic leukemia – a form of cancer that affect white blood cellular telephone and therefore can result in severe immunodeficiency .
' A Letter I Will Never Send '
Today was imagine to be a great day : our beautiful daughter ' first day of schoolhouse . While all of the other parents were laughing and boost their nestling , enjoying this special instant , we were pulled aside by the instructor . As she went through the nestling ’s medical record , she chance on that one of the children in Scarlett ’s class is not vaccinate . There are many things I would wish to say but my moral sense stops me . I understand that nothing I say can win over another parent to alter their beliefs . It ’s not rifle to weigh so what is the level . But when I am distressed , I compose . So here is my letter to that parent :
This morning , my daughter got dressed for their first daytime of schooling . They had raw outfits that they picked out themselves . They got their backpacks . They admit their pictures . They smiled and laugh on their fashion into preschool . They were just like your child .
Except my girl is not like your child . My daughter has cancer . She has had a Mandrillus leucophaeus bored into her pelvis . She has been prod with a needle more times than we can count . She has had surgery , lose her hair , determine friends die . She has suffered through malady and pain . She has suffered enough .
As parents , we have ascertain all of this . We have defend her head as her whole body wretches . We have dampen her flaming handwriting , raw from the medications . We have wiped her bottom while wearing mask and gloves because our own child is too poisonous for us to affect . We have worried and cried and plan . We have fail our other shaver . We have suffered enough .
We have raised money . We have opened every aspect of our life to the public to bring cognisance in the hopes of a cure . We do this , not for our child , but for yours . We hope to stop this atrocious disease in its tracks . We hope that not one more child is diagnosed with genus Cancer , not one more tike suffers , not one more child dies . We do this for gild , for the great goodness .
Today my daughter belong to school . Tonight , we have to make the decisiveness of whether or not to send her back because you did not vaccinate your fry . You put our child at peril with the conclusion that you made . Now I have to make the decision of how I am going to make my child digest even more . Do I risk exhibit her to a disease that is most wiped out in America , brought back by unvaccinated children ? Or do I give away her heart and soul and assure her that she can not go to school anymore ? A " unproblematic " disease like wimp syph could pop her . We have made enough decisions in the preceding two year . decision that our child ’s life depended on . You are forcing us to have to make another decision that we should n’t have to make .
We ask one thing of you after all of our excruciation . Take care of bon ton , think of the greater good . inoculate your baby to protect ours . vaccine do not have autism . Vaccines do not cause malignant neoplastic disease . vaccinum carry through life . FACT .
I can call you selfish . I can call you stupid . I can call you names that are a lot worse because I am that wild today . But that wo n’t avail me tomorrow . You wo n’t be there to pass over aside my child ’s rip because she ca n’t go back to schoolhouse or hold her psyche as she lays in a infirmary bed dying of measles . Your decision does n’t in truth affect you . You will believably never see the ramifications of your actions . Because we vaccinated our small fry for the greater commodity . We vaccinated our children to save yours .
I am just a mom , endeavor to protect her child . The difference is that I have science , facts , and statistics on my side . I am angry , sad , hurt and ultimately lost . I can not force the school to tell this minor ’s kinfolk to immunise or alteration division . But I can habituate my voice to encourage my country to eliminate personal exemptions for schooling vaccinum . I ’ll just sum up this lowly job to my very short list of thing to do .
This will be a letter that I will never send because I am a Noel Coward . I will not confront this kinfolk ( partially because I do n’t know who they are ) . They may never jazz that my girl is ( or was ) in their class . I am too much of a coward to have them cognise how much they made me and my girl cry . They will never recognize how much their decision affect our kin .
So I ask you , please think of children like Scarlett when you consider vaccinating . And please pray for Scarlett to make it through the year healthy and good .
