Rotavirus vaccines are being rolled out across Africa at a remarkable pace thanks to the support of the GAVI Alliance. To date, 21 African countries have introduced rotavirus vaccines in their national immunization programs (NIPs), of which 17 were supported by GAVI. PATH, through the Vaccine Implementation Technical Assistance Consortium, has successfully assisted and supported GAVI and countries in the design, planning, introduction, and/or integration of rotavirus vaccines.
It baffles my mind that there are people out there that choose deliberately not to give their child the best possible chance to survive and grow into a healthy child. The article above was posted by Kathy Neuzil MD. She works for PATH. They work on educating people around the world on the purpose and need for vaccinations.
I think of all the people that died of small pox, and suffered from Polio or died of Whooping Cough. It just makes me crazy.
I know there are lots and lots of scared moms that are sure vaccines cause autism. There lives were forever changed because of that diagnosis and they want an answer. I certainly would want an answer but over and over again the link is not valid. Unfortunately many of the times that Autism Spectrum disorders manifest themselves at some point during a child's development, chances are there is some sort of vaccination that has happened.
Now I am not a medical professional, I don't have a degree in Public Health, I had the mumps, measles and chicken pox and lived to tell about it. I was also vaccinated with everything that was available. I hated each and every time ME had to have her shots. I started making her Dad take her to those appointments. But
I also know what it is like to watch a child suffer and struggle fighting a disease. Why would anyone not prevent a disease if they could. If there was a vaccine to fight childhood cancer, I would be the first in line to make sure every child received that gift.
I can't talk about this issue anymore. Neither can I talk about guns.
I have seen too much death of young innocent children and the destruction is does to their families.
Just so we are clear, I gained a new appreciation for donuts and Spam after our trip across the country. I also craved fresh veggies and green green salad.
Chef Walter is leaving Children's hospital. I am sure he is just retiring and taking a big fat pension with him but he is leaving.
Now they have a chance to find someone that cares about healthy food. I wonder if they will do it. The listing is pretty interesting. They are not looking for real chef..
Associates Degree
Three years of experience
Experience with whole food cooking.
Heck, I should apply. I wonder if they need to know how to wash lettuce.
I have a book that I love. "Our Lady of the Lost and Found" It was written by a Canadian Author with a great sense of humor. She is having a good week and low and behold Mary shows up with a small suitcase, Nike's and a trench coat (blue of course).
It is almost May and she needs a rest. During the course of the discussions with her host there is a lot of talk about prayer and the requests. It is both a thought provoking and funny book.
Cancer Mom's like Mary a lot. She watched her son grow and then die. She felt the agony of not being able to do anything to stop it or to make it better.
Michelangelo's Pieta in the Vatican is one of the most powerful pieces of marble I have ever seen. It saddens me that it is behind glass because some man took a hammer to it. I was lucky enough to be at the Vatican several times and just stood at the bottom, holding the foot of Jesus and looking up at Mary. Such a calm resigned look. Not sad or distraught but a mom's face as she holds her child for the last time.
I know, that the face did not match the feelings behind it. But those of us that have faced the potential loss of our child know that if everyone knew what was going on behind "the your so calm" look, the world would spin off it's axis and then upside down and we would all just float off into the Universe.
That being said, we do pray a lot. We pray for high numbers, we pray for low numbers, we pray for 10 match bone marrow donors, we pray for remission, we pray for no relapse, we pray for engraftment, we pray for one cord to fade away, we pray for a little GVHD, we pray for the GVHD to go away... We don't really know what we are doing.
I don't think any of this illness or suffering of our children is part of a grand master plan. God did not break Mary-E twice. This is not some grand plan to see how many needle points I can finish. It is not some huge test I have to pass. Now, that being said. My ongoing conversations with God, the universe, Mary, the Ganesha, Navajo healing ceremony Buddha, the katsuras in my front yard have helped me survive this process. I know we have no control, we have no way to know what is going to happen. We have to survive every single day in the best way possible and only deal with what we face this moment and the next.
I find I can handle it better if I have a sounding board. Boy there is not a church within 15 miles with a candle left unburned. I need to know I have sent my thoughts and prayer somewhere so I can focus on this point in time.
Only prayers today are to just get through this week with the ability to pick my sister up from the airport next Tuesday.
I feel like a 4 year old in a room of adults. They are talking and drinking and discussing big heavy important topics and I can not get their attention. The House is on Fire.
They pretend to listen when I interrupt but the house is burning. First I ask nicely. Then I get a bit frantic and then I scream. They still just go on eating and drinking and ignoring me.
I have always had this issue. Some answers are so clear to me. When I was a family lawyer I could see the solution but soon learned it takes some people longer to have clarity. I had a case once where I made a suggestion during mediation as to what the best solution might be. When the case settled, I withdrew. The old "hitting your head against the wall" thing.
The case went to trial and the judge did exactly, down to the minute, what I had suggested. I some times see to the end and don't understand it is necessary to "Show your work".
So for more than a year I have been screaming at the hospital. I had a friend suggest they just don't take me seriously because they think I am kidding. How could a mom with a child going through a transplant thing Food is important?
I have never been a tree person, but rather a forest person. How can the food they feed the kids not be important?
So as I sit here today, again at the end of my 10 cup pot of espresso, I will try again. I know there is a full floor of exhausted parents that have to deal with side effects and new meds and bad news about their children's. They have left jobs and families and dogs and everything they love and are on the SCCA floor fighting for one more day for their child. They don't want to go over to the Met Market and spend $60.00 or even $6.00 for something to feed their child.
I am not done. In fact the further out from transplant we get, the more real energy I have.
http://www.facebook.com/BetterFoodPleaseAtSeattleChildrensHospital
