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[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Janine. I am a single mother living in Calgary AB. My son, Aidan

Jake is a healthy 20 pound, 7 month old, vaccine free child. I met

through the Le Leche League...we sort of connected when I asked a question

reguarding immunization ( I was asked not to bring it up again at the meetings)

and we have been corresponding ever since.

It really wasn't an issue whether or not to get Jake vaccinated..but since we do

travel a lot, I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

I had the public health nurse call me the other day to *remind* me that I

haven't taken Jake in for his shots yet. When I told her that I have decided

against them and that she would just be wasting her time calling me again she

abruptly answered that I had better reconsider because my son will not be

allowed into the public school system. Flat out told her she was wrong! I made

it through the system vaccine free ( Thanks Mom) and had no problems and then

suggested( very politely) that she had better educate herself a bit better.

Yes, I am vaccine free, except for yellow fever. As a child I got measles, but

I was no worse off than my classmates who contracted them as well and they were

immunized. I was also diagnosed as having rubella at 21, but that turned out to

be TSS.

I believe in the freedom of choice, so I would never tell anyone not to

vaccinate their child, but to please get as much info as they can and to

question everything. I like to leave it with a bit of a challenge by asking

them to find out where the viruses used in the shots come from. ( I was

recently approched at a wedding reception by two mom's who felt I was very wrong

in my decision and that I was putting their children at risk. Hmmmm. My

question worked...they walked away puzzeled.) :-)

It is great to hear from all of you

Janine