The Unvaccinated Children We Love
"My sister-in law won't vaccinated my nieces and nephews." "My cousin has been posting anti-vaccine memes on Facebook." "My best friend is convinced her child's…
What Can I Do?
If you don't know Tara Smith from Kent State, you should. That may be the main reason we asked her to be a guest on…
Honoring One Life to Save Others
Kimberly Coffey was 17 years old and days away from high school graduation when she caught what she thought was a case of flu. Days…
Vaccines: Not Just for Kids!
Crossing the threshold into adulthood is marked by rites of passage: graduations, first jobs, and lowered vaccine uptake. Perhaps getting fewer vaccines isn't a rite…
Lasting Scars from Chickenpox
It all began on a warm afternoon in May of 1996. My 6-year-old daughter was swinging on her swing set when she suddenly stopped and,…
Protection Begins Before Birth
I remember during my second pregnancy seeing an ad informing me that I could pass along whooping cough to my baby. At the time, I…
Vaccines and Beating the Odds
Vaccines are literally a life or death situation for people like my father, who battled stage 4 leukemia after being given six weeks to live.…
Oh, baby! It’s National Immunization Awareness Month!
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM), a month that is akin to St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, and Fourth of July all rolled into one…
Hitting the Road to Advocate for Immunization
The vast majority of pro-vaxxers are content advocating behind a screen--whether they are emailing lawmakers, commenting on social media, or sharing online articles. But when…
Working Together
Keeping communities free from vaccine-preventable disease is teamwork. As it turns out, advocating for on-time immunization is also team work. Over the past few years,…