Toni's Story

A letter from the mother of an autistic little girl

I have a beautiful 3 year old Daughter.

She had her Hep B at birth. On the day we took her for Her two month shots she had a fever so we put them off. Upon our return to the health dept she was injected 4 times, Two shots in each leg, She reacted almost immediately with a high fever, shakes and listlessness.

When we called the health department and her pediatrician, they told us that she would be fine. We decided that we would never allow them to do another "double" immunization again.

The next round of shots were the "normal" amount, but she again reacted with a fever. We again called the health department and pediatrician and were told to give her Tylenol.

The last set of immunizations we gave her were at 12 months, after the shots she again reacted like she had when she had received the huge dose. She had a 104 temp, screamed through the night and the next two days. We called the pediatrician and scheduled an appointment. She decided that all further immunizations should be delayed until our Daughter was 5 years old, We were relieved.

Two months later at a routine well baby check up our pediatrician warned us that the flu was expected to be deadly that year and that we needed to get our daughter a flu shot. So We did what We thought all "good" parents do, we held down our daughter for that last blow.

Within 48 hours our typically developing daughter who was speaking and engaging and delightful deteriorated in front of our eyes. We knew there was something severely wrong but when we franticly told the pediatricians that she does not talk anymore, she does not hear us anymore, she stares off into nothingness for hours, they said that toddlers typically temporarily give up skills to gain other skills.

We knew this was not what was going on but we took the referral to the audiologist and left.

After a few more frantic trips to this pediatrician along with a normal hearing test, I was told by the pediatrician that she felt that I wanted something to be wrong with my daughter, that immunizations do not cause the symptoms I was stating.

We have since switched pediatricians and have been on a frantic search for help for our daughter. We will be seeing Dr. Demio in Cleveland, Ohio this coming Wednesday and are hoping that chelation may be the key.

I do not know how the vaccine theory will play out, I obviously have reasons to believe that it will in the end be proven to be a huge factor.

I lay awake at night and stare at my daughter sleeping and wonder "where will she be in 20 years" Will she be happy? Will she live independently? and I am angry that we live in America and that she was not protected. If I lived in some third world country maybe (probably not) I could excuse the fact that my country did not have the money to manufacture a vaccine for the greater good without putting a known neurotoxin into it that might affect a portion of the children, but AMERICA?

But where were my daughters rights on the day that she received all of those shots at once?

The nurse acted as though it were routine. They said nothing about mercury.

I always related autism to Rainman. I had a pretty much perfect life, the "American dream" some might say.

Now I have the life of someone who tries to figure out how I can swing the mortgage and groceries as well as mounting medical bills ($80,000) last year alone.

Toni Smith