Thank you, Mary, for this incisive post on vaccines, what they accomplish, and what life is like without them. I am old enough to remember fear about polio and my parents made sure to do everything they could to keep me from being exposed and I got the vaccine as soon as it was available. I did have the measles and spent a week in a darkened room. Once I was having an argument about the measles vaccine with my then LMT. He wanted to know if I would vaccinate them if I had children and I said absolutely. There was a pause and then he said thank god for the polio vaccine, but somehow did not make the connection. During the pandemic I got into an argument about the COVID vaccine with an ex-student who claimed she was a Christian. I wanted to know how one could be a Christian and still not want to keep people safe from COVID especially those who for some reason could not get the vaccine. I ended up blocking her.
Michele, thank you so much for sharing this, your memories and reflections really resonate, and I appreciate you taking the time to write them out. I did want to gently note that I’m actually the author of this post, though I completely understand the mix-up. As Mary’s daughter, I learned how to write from her and definitely inherited a lot of her voice, which I take as a real compliment. Thank you again for reading so thoughtfully and for adding such meaningful perspective to the conversation.
This column should be mandatory reading for the people who say 'why go to the trouble and/or risk of vaccinating for a bunch of diseases I've never heard of.'
Those people could be enlightened by walking through a cemetery of graves from the 1920s or even 1950s and looking at all the children there.
Thank you, that’s such a powerful and sobering way to put it. One of the things that struck me most during my research was how quickly collective memory fades once vaccines do their job. As a parent and someone who worked in pediatric healthcare, that loss of perspective feels especially urgent. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect on it so deeply.
A child of the 1950s, I had both mumps and measles, and remember standing in line with mom to get the polio sugar cube. I had the shingles shot, but still got a mild case, like a patch of poison oak on upper chest just below my shoulder. I get every recommended vaccination as they're available and believe in science. Thanks so much for the detailed history!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, those firsthand memories really bring the history to life in a way statistics alone can’t. That’s exactly why I wanted to include the historical context alongside the science. I really appreciate you reading so closely and for your trust in evidence-based medicine.
Thank you, Mary, for your deep insight and factual reporting. We need more of this.
I'm willing to bet that in ten years, we will have definitively proven what is strongly suspected today - that all Autism is genetic, and all cancers are caused by viruses.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful words, they truly mean a lot. I did want to gently clarify that I’m actually the author of this piece, though I completely understand the confusion. As Mary’s daughter, I learned how to write from her and inevitably inherited quite a bit of her voice and approach to prose. I take that comparison as a real compliment. Thank you again for reading so carefully and engaging so deeply with the work.
Well your report was my life.. I’m 74 and lived with vaccines since I was 6 weeks old. On my way to Sweden.I remember standing on a runway and all my small friends around me waiting for the Polio sugar cube.. very delicious! My father was an army fly boy, 93 missions over Germany! I was a vaccine girl forever, still am.
It kills me to see parents so stupid they aren’t taking care of their kids, w no vaccines. On family in Tx. Said about there dead 6 yr old from measles, well she w God now? What the hell you murder your small child?
As a "boomer" who was fortunate enough to have received both the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines when they first became available, I didn't have to worry about contracting the awful disease that disabled my grandfather. I did, however, contract the measles, rubella, the mumps, and chickenpox during childhood. Other than being quite sick and having pox scars, I fortunately had no lasting impacts. My kids, like most kids in their generation, were all fully vaccinated except for chickenpox, which was developed after they were infected. Most of my grandchildren are vaccinated; some are not.
I believe that because the younger generations of parents have neither experienced the diseases that they were vaccinated against nor known anyone who has suffered through or died from these diseases, they somehow believe that the diseases no longer exist. Social media serves up huge amounts of misinformation and outright lies social media serves up to young, vulnerable parents. With no frame reference, a distrust of government and authority, and an often-limited ability to think critically due to our collapsing education system, they believe whatever the "influencers" they follow tell them whether it's factual or not.
Thank you for sharing all of this, perspectives like yours are such an important reminder of what these diseases actually looked like before vaccines made them rare. One of the most striking things I found while researching was how success can erase memory, making real risks feel abstract to later generations. I really appreciate you taking the time to add your experience and insight to the conversation.
Thank you for your excellent information. One other virus that I would like to see addressed is the papalona virus. I understand there is a vaccine for it, but effective only if you are under a certain age, and only recently developed. Unfortunately, many women such as me at 70, can no longer benefit from this vaccine.
Extraordinary, Mary. Such comprehensive coverage deserves wide dissemination, and it should be inscribed, in teeny, tiny text, on RFKJr’s tombstone. Thanks for all the work you’ve done on this.
Thank you, Mary, for this incredible piece of writing and so much research. It is heartbreaking that so much knowledge, scientific break throughs and extremely important and successful research is now being ignored, disregarded or blatantly lied about on the whims of influencers and incompetent so called 'leaders'. They need to be held accountable for the damage they have done and continue to do to our nation.
Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate your thoughtful response and the care you took in reading the piece. I did want to mention that I’m the one who wrote it, though the confusion makes sense. Growing up with Mary as my mother meant learning a lot about writing, research, and voice at a very early age, so I take the comparison as a genuine compliment. And I share your concern about how easily solid science and hard-won knowledge are being dismissed. Thanks again for engaging so seriously with the work.
Thank you, that really means a lot. I spent weeks researching the pediatric immunization schedule and the history behind each vaccine, and the more I learned, the more important it felt to put this information in one place. As a mother of three and someone who’s spent the last few years working in pediatric healthcare, this topic resonates very deeply with me. I’m grateful you took the time to read it and engage with it so thoughtfully.
Wow!This is why I follow Mary Geddry! Great research. I learned so much. What a shame that men and women scientists who worked so diligently to find a cure for diseases that less than a century ago, killed children, are having their life's work discredited. Those brave scientists rewrote the medical history of our families. We owe them a debt of gratitude that's immeasurable. Instead, our Public health agencies are putting our children at risk and poisoning the minds of those who believe their nonsensical , unscientific disinformation.
Wow, thank you for this, I really appreciate both your kind words and the depth of your response. I did want to gently clarify that I wrote this piece, though I completely understand the confusion. I’m truly honored to have the opportunity to write alongside Mary, and growing up with her as my mother meant learning from her example as a writer and researcher. I share your deep respect for the scientists whose work transformed public health and saved countless lives, and it’s heartbreaking to see that legacy so carelessly undermined. Thank you again for reading so closely and engaging so thoughtfully. As a mother of 3, and a person who has spent the last few years working in pediatric healthcare, this topic sits especially close to my heart.
Thank you for laying out so clearly the background and history of vaccines. What is just as inspiring for me was to read how scientists and doctors and parents and government officials worked sacrificially, in concert.
Thank you, I’m so glad that came through. One of the most moving parts of researching this was seeing how many people, across disciplines and roles, worked together with a shared sense of responsibility to protect children and communities. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect on that aspect of the piece.
Thank you, Mary, for this incisive post on vaccines, what they accomplish, and what life is like without them. I am old enough to remember fear about polio and my parents made sure to do everything they could to keep me from being exposed and I got the vaccine as soon as it was available. I did have the measles and spent a week in a darkened room. Once I was having an argument about the measles vaccine with my then LMT. He wanted to know if I would vaccinate them if I had children and I said absolutely. There was a pause and then he said thank god for the polio vaccine, but somehow did not make the connection. During the pandemic I got into an argument about the COVID vaccine with an ex-student who claimed she was a Christian. I wanted to know how one could be a Christian and still not want to keep people safe from COVID especially those who for some reason could not get the vaccine. I ended up blocking her.
Michele, thank you so much for sharing this, your memories and reflections really resonate, and I appreciate you taking the time to write them out. I did want to gently note that I’m actually the author of this post, though I completely understand the mix-up. As Mary’s daughter, I learned how to write from her and definitely inherited a lot of her voice, which I take as a real compliment. Thank you again for reading so thoughtfully and for adding such meaningful perspective to the conversation.
You and your mother are quite the team. It's a great post.
This column should be mandatory reading for the people who say 'why go to the trouble and/or risk of vaccinating for a bunch of diseases I've never heard of.'
Those people could be enlightened by walking through a cemetery of graves from the 1920s or even 1950s and looking at all the children there.
Thank you, that’s such a powerful and sobering way to put it. One of the things that struck me most during my research was how quickly collective memory fades once vaccines do their job. As a parent and someone who worked in pediatric healthcare, that loss of perspective feels especially urgent. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect on it so deeply.
A child of the 1950s, I had both mumps and measles, and remember standing in line with mom to get the polio sugar cube. I had the shingles shot, but still got a mild case, like a patch of poison oak on upper chest just below my shoulder. I get every recommended vaccination as they're available and believe in science. Thanks so much for the detailed history!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, those firsthand memories really bring the history to life in a way statistics alone can’t. That’s exactly why I wanted to include the historical context alongside the science. I really appreciate you reading so closely and for your trust in evidence-based medicine.
Thank you, Mary, for your deep insight and factual reporting. We need more of this.
I'm willing to bet that in ten years, we will have definitively proven what is strongly suspected today - that all Autism is genetic, and all cancers are caused by viruses.
Thank you so much for the thoughtful words, they truly mean a lot. I did want to gently clarify that I’m actually the author of this piece, though I completely understand the confusion. As Mary’s daughter, I learned how to write from her and inevitably inherited quite a bit of her voice and approach to prose. I take that comparison as a real compliment. Thank you again for reading so carefully and engaging so deeply with the work.
Well your report was my life.. I’m 74 and lived with vaccines since I was 6 weeks old. On my way to Sweden.I remember standing on a runway and all my small friends around me waiting for the Polio sugar cube.. very delicious! My father was an army fly boy, 93 missions over Germany! I was a vaccine girl forever, still am.
It kills me to see parents so stupid they aren’t taking care of their kids, w no vaccines. On family in Tx. Said about there dead 6 yr old from measles, well she w God now? What the hell you murder your small child?
As a "boomer" who was fortunate enough to have received both the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines when they first became available, I didn't have to worry about contracting the awful disease that disabled my grandfather. I did, however, contract the measles, rubella, the mumps, and chickenpox during childhood. Other than being quite sick and having pox scars, I fortunately had no lasting impacts. My kids, like most kids in their generation, were all fully vaccinated except for chickenpox, which was developed after they were infected. Most of my grandchildren are vaccinated; some are not.
I believe that because the younger generations of parents have neither experienced the diseases that they were vaccinated against nor known anyone who has suffered through or died from these diseases, they somehow believe that the diseases no longer exist. Social media serves up huge amounts of misinformation and outright lies social media serves up to young, vulnerable parents. With no frame reference, a distrust of government and authority, and an often-limited ability to think critically due to our collapsing education system, they believe whatever the "influencers" they follow tell them whether it's factual or not.
Thank you for sharing all of this, perspectives like yours are such an important reminder of what these diseases actually looked like before vaccines made them rare. One of the most striking things I found while researching was how success can erase memory, making real risks feel abstract to later generations. I really appreciate you taking the time to add your experience and insight to the conversation.
So sorry to have not given you proper credit, Shanley. It's apparent the brilliant apple didn't fall far from the tree.
Bravo Mary! Thank you for this very important reminder. I hope your readers will share this widely.
Thank you for your excellent information. One other virus that I would like to see addressed is the papalona virus. I understand there is a vaccine for it, but effective only if you are under a certain age, and only recently developed. Unfortunately, many women such as me at 70, can no longer benefit from this vaccine.
That makes us more vulnerable to cervical cancer.
Extraordinary, Mary. Such comprehensive coverage deserves wide dissemination, and it should be inscribed, in teeny, tiny text, on RFKJr’s tombstone. Thanks for all the work you’ve done on this.
Thank you, Shanley.
Thank you.
Thank you for reading!
Thank you, Mary, for this incredible piece of writing and so much research. It is heartbreaking that so much knowledge, scientific break throughs and extremely important and successful research is now being ignored, disregarded or blatantly lied about on the whims of influencers and incompetent so called 'leaders'. They need to be held accountable for the damage they have done and continue to do to our nation.
Thank you so much for this, I really appreciate your thoughtful response and the care you took in reading the piece. I did want to mention that I’m the one who wrote it, though the confusion makes sense. Growing up with Mary as my mother meant learning a lot about writing, research, and voice at a very early age, so I take the comparison as a genuine compliment. And I share your concern about how easily solid science and hard-won knowledge are being dismissed. Thanks again for engaging so seriously with the work.
If only there was a way to make this mandatory reading.
Thank you, that really means a lot. I spent weeks researching the pediatric immunization schedule and the history behind each vaccine, and the more I learned, the more important it felt to put this information in one place. As a mother of three and someone who’s spent the last few years working in pediatric healthcare, this topic resonates very deeply with me. I’m grateful you took the time to read it and engage with it so thoughtfully.
My thought too.
Wow!This is why I follow Mary Geddry! Great research. I learned so much. What a shame that men and women scientists who worked so diligently to find a cure for diseases that less than a century ago, killed children, are having their life's work discredited. Those brave scientists rewrote the medical history of our families. We owe them a debt of gratitude that's immeasurable. Instead, our Public health agencies are putting our children at risk and poisoning the minds of those who believe their nonsensical , unscientific disinformation.
Wow, thank you for this, I really appreciate both your kind words and the depth of your response. I did want to gently clarify that I wrote this piece, though I completely understand the confusion. I’m truly honored to have the opportunity to write alongside Mary, and growing up with her as my mother meant learning from her example as a writer and researcher. I share your deep respect for the scientists whose work transformed public health and saved countless lives, and it’s heartbreaking to see that legacy so carelessly undermined. Thank you again for reading so closely and engaging so thoughtfully. As a mother of 3, and a person who has spent the last few years working in pediatric healthcare, this topic sits especially close to my heart.
Thank you for laying out so clearly the background and history of vaccines. What is just as inspiring for me was to read how scientists and doctors and parents and government officials worked sacrificially, in concert.
Thank you, I’m so glad that came through. One of the most moving parts of researching this was seeing how many people, across disciplines and roles, worked together with a shared sense of responsibility to protect children and communities. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect on that aspect of the piece.