Countering Antivax Lies and Misinformation - Part One

The immunocompromised.

Yeah, okay, so the first lie is the one where they start throwing the immunocompromised under the bus claiming that we are being told by doctors to avoid the recently vaccinated.

Trust me sweetheart, we aren’t being told any such thing.

Matter of fact, our healthy household members are being advised to be up to date on all vaccines.

There are only a handful of caveats:

1. If the vaccinated individual comes down with the rash from the chicken pox vaccine
2. Wash hands after changing diapers after rotavirus vaccine (babies) - who doesn’t?
3. Live nasal flu vaccine

I mean, really.

I am immunocompromised and have been in the infusion ward at my area hospital for two years now. Still no signs advising against the recently vaccinated.

Because shedding is either nonexistent or the vaccine is unable to transmit because the virus or bacteria has been killed or weakened.

Who am I going to trust? Not antivaxxers.

The following are some resources that I have compiled and trust:

This one actually has multiple links:

https://primaryimmune.org/idf-medical-advisory-committee-publishes-vaccination-recommendations/immunizations

https://www.stjude.org/treatment/patient-resources/caregiver-resources/infection-tips/inpatient-visiting-guidelines.html

https://primaryimmune.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Immunization-Of-The-Immunocompromised-Host.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4009347/

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/guidelines-for-vaccination-of-immunocompromised-individuals-from-the-infectious-diseases-society-of-america-an-in-depth-guide

https://media.chop.edu/data/files/pdfs/vaccine-education-center-infectious-diseases-immune-comp.pdf

Can household contacts of immune-compromised people receive vaccines?

Yes. Children in the homes of immune-compromised people can safely receive all routinely recommended vaccines. Adults in the home or in close contact with immune-compromised individuals should also be up to date on all routinely recommended vaccines, so they do not inadvertently expose the person to vaccine-preventable diseases. 

https://www.uab.edu/news/people/item/6531-the-truth-about-vaccines-they-are-safe-and-they-save-lives

Second, but people cannot spread diseases they cannot have!

Actually, unless you carry a microscope, you do not even know what you have! Fun fact:

Hepatitis A, which does have a vaccine, can actually be spread anywhere from 2 weeks to 7 weeks after exposure. While many people exposed might not ever have symptoms, symptoms might not even appear from 2 weeks to 50 days! FIFTY DAYS! And we wonder how outbreaks happen so easily. Fortunately, most people who get exposed, whether they get sick or not, but especially if they get sick, and if they relapse, should NEVER get it again. This would be the only disease that truly builds a lifetime immunity that doesn’t come with significant consequences. 

Third, the falsehood of lifetime immunity with measles and chicken pox:

Measles might confer lifetime immunity IF the patient does not die or develop SSPE in the years that follow and only after the immune system rebuilds and the patient does not end up disabled as a result. And same for chicken pox, except that the chicken pox comes with the future of the possibility of shingles which I have heard can be very painful. 

Fourth, BUT ABORTION.

Two babies who were exposed to rubella in uteri were aborted and the women gave permission to the doctors to utilize the blood cells to develop a “cure” in the form of a vaccine. The Catholic Church took issue with the methodology used in the creation of the vaccine itself but also took the side of pro-vaccination as it was proven that the vaccine resulted in a decline of what they call spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage. And the number of cases of congenital rubella syndrome also declined as a result of the vaccine.

Fifth, BUT AUTISM. 

Multiple studies later and autism is still not linked in any way, shape, or form with vaccines. BUT as genetics develops into a more solid field of study, we have identified multiple genes that can contribute to autism. And just because they might not have yet identified all the genes does not mean autism is anything but genetic. Same with ADHD and any other conditions that is not triggered by a disease process. 

This is but one part of a lot to unpack. And I look forward to fleshing this out some more in the future year. 

As for mandatory vaccines laws, I support them. They are not forced. They simply have consequences for failing to adhere to them. 

That Time an Anti-Vaccine Troll May Have Failed, Keeping Vaxxed Out of Birmingham, and Fear of Trump

First of all, yes, I follow some pro-vaccine pages. Because I am pro-vaccine. Why? Because I understand the science behind immunology and diseases. Because a disease nearly kept me from being born and gave me other diseases that I now have to live with the effects of. Because vaccines did not make me autistic nor have they ever made anyone autistic as autism is a genetic developmental disorder. Because three diseases in the course of a year gave me another disability to boot. All because of one disease that likely stemmed from that disease that nearly kept me from being born.

Let me tell you what was said before I tell you what the troll attempted to do. The post was about a woman whose baby is suffering from pertussis. So many women who were anti-vaccine because they bought the lies have been going through this. It is sad. And we can only hope their babies will come through okay. The response to here from an anti-vaccine person was "why should I vaccinate my child just so your child will not get sick?" My response was that they expect so much empathy from us yet have none for those who have suffered from now preventable diseases. They get mad when we do not show them empathy because they were negligent. I have literally had anti-vaccine people tell me that I should just die because I am immune deficient and cannot build antibodies to these diseases. And that no one gets to say anything like that to anyone. Ever. Well, the troll failed. Because the thing is I already justified my reason to not feel empathy toward them based on what they have told me. And the troll was blocked immediately.

Yes, I said I feel no empathy toward people who are neglectful. And I don't. Why should I?

Australia has a no jab, no pay policy now. I think America needs to adopt a stiffer one. And don't think of me as heartless because in reality, I am the most caring person there is, but I think America needs a no jab, no pay policy as well. And the extent of it needs to be that if a person refuses medically proven treatments and preventive services that they should not receive any government benefits whatsoever. No SNAP, no TANF, no Medicaid, no Medicare, no SSI/SSDI or any other form of SS. Why? Because if their child ends up disabled from a preventable disease and they get benefits for that disability, we are paying for their negligent behavior. It's hard enough to get benefits when you are born with disabilities that get worse through your life! We already pay for their negligence when someone with an immune deficiency, cancer, or on immune suppressing medications ends up sick or dead from their negligence....

On that note, the HATE group is at it again. Only this time they are trying to bring that crap to my home turf. And guess what? It will not be allowed. UAB has the largest total of immune deficient and cancer patients in our state. And I do know of some people who travel from other states to come to the doctors at UAB. I am also a self-advocate. For autism and for immune deficiency. Every major organization that handles autism and immune deficiency and at least three major media outlets have been contacted. The theater they are trying to bring it to will receive a cease and desist letter this week as well.

Why all this effort to stop a "film?" Because the message it is sending about autistics like myself is damaging our efforts to have acceptance by calling us damaged chimps and dogs. Because the MMR vaccine has been exonerated repeatedly. And because it is HATE speech and should never be tolerated. Because in their cult, they also want to bring back those nasty fatal diseases that we have worked so hard to eliminate. And yes, I call them a cult. Because they are.

Andrew Wakefield was debunked when he proposed the MMR-autism link. He was stripped of his license to practice. And he continues to bring harm to autistics with this film even now.

Here is my honest observation: As the vaccination rates began to drop in the United States, the autism rates have continued to rise. Changes in diagnostic criteria notwithstanding, this already should indicate one fatal flaw in their theory: in order for there to be any correlation, they should be going in the same direction, not equal but opposite directions. Other fatal errors that have been committed are that in their already debunked over 1000 times nonsense, they fail to understand the history of autism, the history of diseases, and the fact that, wait for it, there are unvaccinated autistics!

I have seen them claim ninja nurses snuck in and vaccinated the child. I have seen them claim autistics are vegetables. I have seen them claim autistics are zombies. And all I can do is shake my head and cry. Why do they hate autistics so much? Why? We are human beings with feelings just like they claim to be. And if anything, we feel a lot more than they apparently ever will. We are not numb or mindless. And their comments about us do hurt.

I didn't intend to get political here, but it is the anti-vaccine nonsense that has so many of us terrified of what will happen should Donald Trump end up having dumb luck enough to win the White House. Of course, I highly doubt that will ever happen because there is not one people group in America that he has not insulted at some point in the course of this year or last year, and I am seeing that even the republicans are doing what they can to keep him away. But he is literally just as dangerous as the anti-vaccine people!

I am autistic. I am immune deficient. I am in the diagnostic stages with regard to the recent discovery that I have mast cell disease. And I am terrified of the future in America because of Donald Trump and anti-vaccine people who are all trying to kill me apparently. I have seen and read about the horrors in Nazi Germany and I am afraid America will see a repeat of that if Donald Trump wins, only it will be if you are not white, if you are not blond, if you are not "perfect," then you will be sent away and killed because according to Trump, those are the things that make people "perfect."

I pray every day for God's will to be done, but I am beginning to feel that it is a losing battle here.

Oh, but I guess the plus side is I am worthy enough for a troll attempt.... Haha....

By the way, the new gold is the statistic claiming that there will be in 1 in 2 autistics by 2025. Here is my gold for that: Have you not heard that we autistics are actually superior intellectual aliens from another planet sent here to take over the world and to bring back all that is good in humanity? Now I must contact the home planet and let them know I revealed our plans. Seriously. That is going to be priceless!!

Autism - What are the top three things you want people to know aboutautism?

1. Having autism does not mean that a person is stupid or dumb or "retarded." Many autistics are actually quite brilliant in their own ways. You just have to be patient enough to learn what our intelligences are. And by intelligences, I do not just mean academic intelligence. Many autistics are creative, musical, mathematical, scientific, video game smart, technological. Some autistics can tell you every birthday of every person they meet. Others turn out beautiful paintings or pottery or sculptures. Still others can look at a drawing and tell you exactly where a wall needs to be or look at a string of symbols and numbers and invent the next great piece of technology.

2. Autism is not a disease. It does not need a cure. And yes, that includes severe autism. If anything needs a cure, it is ignorance. What autistics need is love and acceptance. We need support and help so we can thrive in our communities. But we do not need a cure. 

3. Autism is not caused by vaccines. It is not damage. It is not a curse. It is not bad behavior. It is not the result of bad parenting. It is genetic in nature. Moms, dads, you did nothing wrong. You did nothing to cause autism. On a side note, vaccinations do save lives and reduce the once fatal diseases to a minimum. 

Dealing with Bullies

I will just post one of the links about dealing with a bully as opposed to rewrite the post.

http://ajourneythroughtheology.blogspot.com/2016/06/how-to-effectively-deal-with-bully.html?ref=source

Also, I have been reading Ron Fournier's Love That Boy about his autistic son. It's at a 4 star level because it is a little bit boring to me, but I love how the underlying and repeat message I am getting is that parents need to drop the expectations and let the children be who they are going to be. Autism initially seems like a slap in the face of reality when it comes to where reality meets expectations. I know that from experience. The hardest part of autism for me was not being properly diagnosed until adulthood. I had a lot of expectations of myself. I have had to wrestle with the diagnosis. And ultimately, I have had to let loose of the expectations and just accept the reality. It is a harsh mismatch. But I will not trade my autism for anything.

Autism, Galas, and Celebrities

What a wild and crazy time this year has been! I started the summer off with a bang! A new social and support group for families and individuals with special needs has begun in my area. I called it Living and Thriving to reflect what my dream for all of us who have special needs will achieve. We not only want to LIVE in our communities, attend schools, attend churches, work, play, but we also want to THRIVE. Well, thriving is what I have begun experiencing. Shortly after I kicked off the group (it's been a seemingly slow start, but nonetheless, it is a start), I was invited to attend the Autism Society of Alabama's Network Leader Retreat at Ross Bridge Resort. It was nice. And they certainly don't call it a getaway for nothing. Internet access was no good! In a sense, I called it my practice for Disney World. 

So then I began to receive invitations to attend galas with my mom. The first was formal. Well, I had to go buy a new dress. This is a picture of my outfit for the KultureCity Kulture:Ball which was held at the Westin-Birmingham. Thank you Torrid for making me feel like Marilyn Monroe!

Yes, getting the sun out of my eyes helped!

Practicing my curtsy! Who knows? I meet the queen one day.

Loved how this selfie turned out!

Oh, hey, it is Tiki Barber. All I know about him is that he is a very polite and kind former football player. 

Well, shortly after that, I did this painting to donate for the Autism Society of Alabama's Autism Shiens Gala auction. It was very hot that week at our house as we were without air conditioning but I had set a plan to finish it nontheless! 

Well, here you have the table decor of the Autism Shines Gala at the Ross Bridge Resort! 

And the menu. Of course, I had to make some special requests, but thank goodness the chef at Ross Bridge was able to meet the special needs diets! Like I said, I consider some of this practice for Disney World. By the way, and I am being honest, why do we need so many different forks and knives for one meal? 

While at the Autism Shines Gala, I happened to meet someone who has to be the tallest man on earth-Charles Barkley, former NBA star. Yeah, I don't follow sports. But it was cool. The photographer even got a couple of shots where you can compare how small I am against him. We had an awkward moment where he tried to shake my hand but I offered a high five instead. Maybe it will be the shake five?

And here I am with the Autism Society of Alabama mascots: Jerry and Jackie Frogs. I have to admit though, I was creeped out by them and was a little offended that the Jackie Frog was way different looking than the Jerry Frog, and not just because she was a girl frog. 

By the way, the dress for this was Sunday casual. Think I nailed it okay?

Lastly, I had the opportunity to hear Temple Grandin speak at Athens State University. That was a bit of a drive. I could definitely tell she was on the spectrum. And I might be more excited if I ever meet Carly Fleischmann, but Temple is still on my top ten list. 

Like I said, it has been a wild and crazy time! No joke!

Book Writing Process

It is hard sometimes to get a book off the ground. But I have my topic in mind and just need to flesh it out. I am wondering if a title should be the start or if the title should just come as I am writing it. I do not know. But the book is definitely going to be about autism and what it is like living with autism. And I honestly have no reason to believe that it is a tired subject because honestly there should be more books written from the perspective and the insight of someone who has autism. We have a few and they range from Temple Grandin to Carly Fleischmann (she is my inspiration for wanting to write my own book) to Naoki Higoshida (also an inspiration for me). I want the world to understand what is like being diagnosed later in life and to understand the challenges and even the blessings I have experienced along the way to my diagnosis and after my diagnosis. I want to encourage people to never give up on their dreams and aspirations. I want to make suggestions for people who might be interested in launching special needs ministries and other community based programs. There are a lot of things I want to cover. Anyway, I just wanted to get a few thoughts out.

Cree and Scooter

I received a digital copy for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cree and Scooter

Cree is an imaginative little girl who receives a stuffed chameleon named Scooter. The adventures these two have in Cree's dreams!

Travel around the world with Cree and Scooter, learn about the language and the culture, and enjoy the illustrations. 

Cree and Scooter is expected to be a series and is written by Tammy Sutton-Brown, a veteran of the WNBA. 

To date, the only book available is Cree and Scooter Hit the Slopes in British Columbia. In this book, children will be introduced to some basic French expressions. 

The book is available as an e-book for $6.99 via Amazon or as a hardback for $16 via Cree and Scooter's website.