Last month while waiting in car line to pick up my son from school, I was wracking my brain trying to think of some ideas for upcoming blogs. I am not the most creative minded individual.
The mom who monitors car line was waving frantically for parents to pull forward instead of lingering in front of the school. The monitor mom approached my vehicle with a huge smile. I rolled down my window and smiled back figuring she was going to tell me to move up. Instead she looked at me and said, “You’re special needs; you’re fine. I will make everyone go around you.” BAMMM. I felt like I was just punched in the stomach. WHAT? Special Needs? Are you kidding me?
I told her I had no problem moving up, and still with a smile she said, “I will just have everyone go around you; don’t worry.” It hit me. I am so tired of Labels. Special Needs, Autistic, On the Spectrum. I realize this may not bother some of us, but it really bothers me.
I know this mom meant absolutely no harm, was trying to be kind and thought she was doing us a favor. I was probably having one of those emotional days…you know, the ones where you just want normalcy. I try to keep our life as normal as I can, but it’s hard when others remind you. For some reason, I started having flashbacks of all the times people have referred to my son as special needs, autistic, and even handicapped. Really? Handicapped? I thought of our IEP last Spring. While discussing my son with the social worker he made the comment to me, “Well, he is autistic.” Another punch in the stomach. I really wanted to say, “No, moron. He is not autistic. If a person had cancer would you say, “Well, he is cancer.”
I know this may seem petty to some, but to me, my son is a young boy who is medically sick. Because of that I am working very hard to heal his body and make him better. He is a person, not a label.
After picking up my son at school we headed to Walgreens. While pulling in I was bombarded with immunization signs in the parking lot and outside of the building. Remember this one I posted a couple of silent Sundays ago?
This was not the only sign in the parking lot. They had flu shot and pneumonia shot signs literally lining the entire parking lot. It looked like it was election season for vaccinations- and again I felt like I was punched in the stomach. It hurt. I was so disgusted I did not even go into the store. I felt like the little girl in the youtube video who was tired of the election campaign.
I sometimes feel like this little girl but, instead of being tired of the election (Thank GOD that is over), I get frustrated with our medical community, the mainstream media, the pharmaceutical companies and what they are doing to all the children. There are signs all around us pushing vaccines.
In October, we took a little family vacation and attended the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Santa Fe New Mexico. There was a Walgreens vendor booth there promoting and giving Flu shots. I can’t even go on vacation without seeing some sign to remind everyone to get their Flu shot.
Today, not only are doctors pushing multiple vaccines quite casually, now our local drugstores are too. What’s next? Drive-through bypass surgery? Or better yet, Pregnant Moms! You can now deliver your baby at Walgreens!
I started thinking about the correlation between the all these signs and labels. Here is the scenario: A mom takes her child to Walgreens just to pick up a few incidentals. She sees the sign with the list of vaccines, walks up to the pharmacy counter and encounters a pharmacist who knows nothing about the child’s medical history. Mom looks over the vaccine menu (as if she is at McDonald’s ordering her child a Happy Meal). She chooses two out of the eight vaccines listed, and oh, by the way adds in a flu shot. Less than a week later, the child becomes completely withdrawn, stops talking, develops a rash, and starts banging his head on the floor. The mom takes her child to the pediatrician who tells her, “Let’s just wait and see. This could be a phase.” Yes, there are still pediatricians out there this clueless. Oh, you only did 3 vaccines at Walgreens? Let’s do 2 more. Three to six months go by and finally that child gets the label…Autistic.
It makes me so sad to see how misinformed our society is. Some days I just want to live in a bubble and ignore what is going on this world. But I can’t. That is not me. Or any of the Thinking Moms.
We are trying to inform the general public about what is really happening to stop it from continuing to happen. We need to start educating people outside of the autism community. Let’s face it: We need to do more than preach to our own choir. Please help us educate the mom who monitors car line, or the mom who vaccinates her child at Walgreens. These are the people we need to reach out to and who need our help.
~Snap
For more blogs by Snap click here.
To KKD …you are my hero!
I think it’s a riot that the digital sign outside of our local Walgreen’s here has a, um, light problem. Instead of the standard “Whooping cough available here,” “Shingles vaccine available here,” or (insert any standard *deadly disease* vaccine here) – the word ‘vaccine’ does not light up. No, instead we are treated to a digital display that reads, “Whooping cough and shingles available here! Get your flu today!”
Interesting how the word *vaccine* is missing. 😉
Yep…
Thanks for all that Thinking Moms does! Take heart. You’re planting seeds of knowledge as my husband says. Even if you’re not the one there to water them and watch them grow, you had a hand in helping people become informed. It’s hard for people to question everything they’ve been programmed to think. After all, it took my children being damaged for my husband and I to snap out of it. But if we have managed to inform a few people towards better decisions for their family, then I would imagine this blog has done the same in greater numbers. Sometimes it seems slow as hell, but people are waking up.
Thank you Snap for this wonderful post. Someone once told me that people don’t know what something is like unless it affects them personally. I agree in a sense, however there is not reason people have to remain uneducated and just be respectful. Whenever I speak with someone about this and turn it around on them, and show them that in fact is is denying choice or discriminatory, you often see that light come on and almost that sense of realization take place. For those that doesn’t happen for, they just don’t have empathy to begin with.
We can’t waste that negative energy on trying to figure out the whys of what folks do. We are better off keeping our heads held high and fighting for what we believe in.
Thank you!
Did u forget that flu shots are also available at the pharmacy inside your local supermarket?!?!
U didnt know? Well then u didn’t read any of the 25+signs posted every ten feet from the parking lot entrance to the dairy section way in the back of the store thoughtfully placed to serve as a reminder that it’s important to take advantage of this limited opportunity to have access to a special convenience they have graciously provided to u while u are there to shop. U know, for like eggs ‘n stuff.
Start making that grocery list:
Grapes
Pears
Bread
Yogurt
Juice
Flu shots
Everyday we see commercials about new drugs to cure this and that on TV. It will cure you of this and that BUT side effects blurry vision, suicidal thoughts, high blood pressure, sudden diarrhea, etc,etc.
Could you imagine if the pharmaceutical companies did the same format of TV commercials for vaccines?
“Hep B vaccine when your baby is born..MINOR side effects…seizures, high fever, high pitch crying, liver damage, etc, etc….but your baby will be protected.”
Fast food…fast vaccines…great!
Let us keep the revolution moms.
These flu shots were just recently offered at our school (private) as the great gift to our community during school hours!!!!!!!!!. Children were lining up during the school day to go get their flu mist on two separate occasions. I was incensed. How could this also be pushed on our schools! My children were “out of school” the first time for a week because I did not want the viral affects and the second time for several days. It has made me so angry. I even wonder whether it is technically illegal??? at least I hope so. So I completely agree with this terrible mass message that causes herd mentality.
I have an unvax, nearly 2 yr old who was born with an extremely rare form of leukemia. He also has Down syndrome. I found you guys about a year ago when we were getting ready to leave the hospital one final time after 6 months of nearly continuous inpatient chemo. (Thanks for being there) I’m not fighting the same battles in medicine and society. But it’s similar. Since nearly 30% of people with DS also have a spectrum diagnosis, we are fighting proactively on that front.
My point today is regarding language and the things people say. My sister called today and told me how she’d taken her kids to the American Girl store. And wouldn’t I be happy to know that they have Down’s dolls, as well as other handicapped dolls like wheelchairs and hearing aides.
Yep. Punched in the stomach. The thing is, it sounds like she sees her nephew as a syndrome; not a person with a syndrome. (he’s down’s, he’s autism, he’s brain cancer) A genetic mistake, perhaps?
The thing that gets me is this ‘limiting language’ as I put it, limits all our kids: those with Down syndrome, autism, athleticism, cancer, intelectual giftedness, etc. I don’t want my kid, or your kid, stuck in a box.
No, I didn’t correct her. I know she didn’t mean to be offensive. It’s just naturally offensive. And, like many of you, I’m exhausted by the therapy, neutraceuticals, organic food shopping and prepping, neurodevelopmental plan, IFSP, etc., etc., etc.
Keep up the good work! Thanks for being out there.
Your are fighting for the best quality of life possible for your family.You have all been through so much already–life is so not fair and I am not Ok with that.You do the best you can and than pray a lot.Stay strong.
Autism, vaccine injuries, are just the tip of the iceberg.TMR knows that the magnitude of what ails all of God’s Creation and the suffering and struggle by the masses is insurmountable.
There is so much denial of the whole truth , that it is really about ALL living beings , not just those who have been the most compromised:
It is a defense mechanism.
People have been and continue to accept the “new normal” out of fear.
It is their cloak of false protection. The emperor has no clothes, indeed.
If they don’t pretend ignorance and point to “the others” as demented:
Than they will have to acknowledge what they already know–and that is a burden that most refuse to accept, because it comes with a huge responsibility.
Mahatma Gandhi:
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problem.”
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”
“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.”
”Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Much love,
Barbara
Oh girl, maybe next time you could call her and say, “Hey, I was just at the mall, and they have this store where they make bears. Guess what? They make bears that look like neurotypical kids with clueless parents! Can you believe that?”
Maybe then she’ll get it. Or maybe not.
Love and peace to you and your wonderful boy.
I have a kiddo with DS ASD too. I remember seeing dolls with DS too, and boy were they scaaaaary looking! I have to say that sometimes after doing all of this autism ds “stuff”, I find myself looking at her as a diagnosis, and I then have to back off and remind myself that no, she isn’t. She is my little baby who came from my womb, who cuddled with me and giggled with me. She is my normal human daughter and a cute little girl who happens to have DS and ASD. I hate even admitting this as I know that some may look at me and think I am awful for thinking this. I don’t mean to, I just think that the treatments can cause somebody to get too far to one side and way of thinking if not careful. Ugh! It makes me feel so ashamed:(
u make me want to speak out more…i always steered clear cause when i did try to educate i got called “crazy organic girl” or “do u really think they would do this if it was bad for our kids” or better yet a mom and dad who came to me for help on allergies and what foods their child can eat ended up being an argument that they really dont believe theirchild is llaergic! i am not here to argue! well this made me tired. i am exhausted and to argue with people is exhausting so i decided to stop talking 🙁 and use this energy for my kids! the thinking moms revolution makes me want to speak out! and keep going till i get someone who really needs my help! thank you!
I hear what you are saying…I used to argue with people too. Then I realized you can’t argue with stupid. I find some don’t want to know because it is so much easier to “go with the flow” or should I say, drive through McDonalds for dinner. I now only educate the people who are listening and asking for help. I am finding there are more and more out there and they do want the help, they just don’t know where to get it.
Amen Snap and I think one day we will be the majority. We actually are if folks really look at how ill there children are.
Great post!
As I read this painful blog I glanced at the Walgreen picture. I read ‘road to hell’ instead of ‘road to well’. Need to get new specs thought I. Then again……
A big lawsuite will stop them.
They can’t be sued – no manufacturer or anyone who administers a vaccine can be sued. All adverse reactions go the the VICP (Vaccine Injury Compensation Program). Yep…
I need to reboot my campaign-create a whole new and improved way to be a truly effective Advocate of the Whole World. I am burnt out and all my efforts hasn’t made a difference for our family, who is the most important people in my life first and foremost.
I feel like we have become a sort of sacrificial lambs to assure others who are certain that what has harmed us has nothing to do with them.
The: that’s your family–including from “family” , not our family, so step away from my children stink eye, is just too much for me to deal with, esp because it is the Holiday time of year.
Peace,
Barbara Biegaj in Chicago
I hear you Snap! Every time I see those signs stuck in the ground, I fantasize about marching over there and stealing each and every one of them, taking them home, painting over them and turning them into my garage sale signs. You know, so we can offset the cost of medical bills and therapies to reverse the damage Walgreens, pediatricians and the vaccines have caused. One day. One day I’ll have the courage to do it.
thank you for you powerful words…
I hope it never comes to the happy meal of vaccine choices in the drive thru… but sadly I think it already may be there!
GMO, vaccine… take your pick… ugh.