What Flu Does to Beckett
Beckett's body overreacts to common viruses like influenza. We're a little anxious about this fall & winter.
We’ll Never Miss a Flu Shot Again
I typically stay on top of vaccines. But in 2023 we were late with flu shots–a mistake I will never make again.
You Might Have to Ask: ACIP Update
The CDC’s vaccine committee (ACIP) met last week to review several vaccines, including those for measles-mumps-rubella-chickenpox (MMRV), hepatitis B, and COVID-19.
I was healthy. Measles still hit like a truck.
As an adult, I knew I was missing some vaccines, but I wasn’t sure which ones. Then, I was diagnosed with measles.
The Long Shadow of a Measles Infection
They assumed my father's cognitive function would never be normal, but it was actually his personality that changed.
Measles Can Change Your Brain
I didn’t know why I had been hospitalized, but it was greeted as something of a miracle that I could spell my own name.
Measles Took My Sister From Me
My sister was in a coma for a very long time. We were excited when she woke up.
My Daughter Had Cancer. She Doesn’t Need Measles.
The panic of having to go back into isolation over the measles and unvaccinated individuals is overwhelming. We want nothing more than for our kids to try and have normal lives.
Why I Regret Not Vaccinating
I had already begun my descent into conspiracy theories before I became a parent, but the instinct to protect my children kicked it into overdrive.
Statement Concerning June 2025 ACIP Meeting
Thimerosal contains very tiny amounts of ethylmercury, which is safe and quickly leaves the body. It’s different from harmful methylmercury found in some fish. Thimerosal has been used safely in vaccines, drugs, and contact solutions since the 1930s. Decades of studies across the globe have shown that thimerosal is safe in the amounts used in vaccines.
