2.25.2009

Government Again Concedes Vaccines Cause Autism

Click on the title of this post to view the actual article in the Huffington Post.

Luckily, the parents of this little boy took him for an MRI about 1-2 weeks following his vaccinations. The MRI showed brain and spinal cord damage, which is how they were able to "prove" that it caused his condition (PDD-NOS, which is what Holden's "official" diagnosis is, also). I read an article from The Thoughful House - in Austin, TX, where the doctor there said that what happened to Bailey Banks is what happened to thousands of children who have ASD, however, the brain damage will not show on a MRI after a certain period of time. I copied and pasted that article below this one, as well.

February 25, 2009
Government Again Concedes Vaccines Cause Autism

Mysterious Vaccine Court created in 1986 by Congress and the pharmaceutical industry rules in favor of Bailey Banks against HHS.

Los Angeles - February 23, 2009 - Generation Rescue, Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey’s Los Angeles-based non-profit autism organization, today announced that the United States Government has once again conceded that vaccines cause autism. The announcement comes on the heels of the recently discovered court case of Bailey Banks vs. HHS, reported on the Huffington Post. The ruling states, “The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine…a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to PDD [Autism].”

In a curious and hypocritical method of operation, the mysterious Vaccine Court not only protects vaccine makers from liability but created a policy that has tripled the number of vaccines given to U.S. children – all after being made aware of the fact that these vaccines do, in fact, cause autism and repeatedly ruling in favor of families with children hurt by their vaccines.

“It was heartbreaking to hear about Bailey’s story, but through this ruling we are gaining the proof we need to open the eyes of the world to the fact that vaccines do, in fact, cause autism,” said Jenny McCarthy, Hollywood actress, autism activist, best-selling author and Generation Rescue board member. “Bailey Banks’ regression into autism after vaccination is the same story I went through with my own son and the same story I have heard from thousands of mothers and fathers around the country. Our hope is that this ruling will influence decision and policy-makers to help the hundreds of thousands of children and families affected by this terrible condition.”

Banks vs. HHS is the second known case where the Vaccine Court could not deny the overwhelming evidence showing vaccines caused a child's autism. The first was the case of Hannah Poling in March of 2008, where the Government conceded her case and awarded her family compensation.

Jim Carrey, Hollywood legend and Generation Rescue board member, reacted to the news, “It seems the U.S. government is sending mixed messages by telling the world that vaccines don't cause autism, while, at the same time, they are quietly managing a ‘separate vaccine court’ that is ruling in favor of affected families and finding that vaccines, in fact, were the cause. For most of the autism community the question is no longer whether vaccines caused of their child’s autism. The question is why is their government is only promoting the rulings that are in favor of the vaccine companies.”

Why is a secret court, which no one knows about or understands, quietly paying these families for vaccine injuries and autism? Deirdre Imus, Generation Rescue board member and founder of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology says, “Over the past 20 years, the vaccine court has dispensed close to $2 billion in compensation to families whose children were injured or killed by a vaccine. I am not against vaccines and my own child has been vaccinated. But, I share the growing concerns of many parents questioning the number of vaccines given to children today, some of the toxic ingredients in vaccines, and whether we know enough about the combination risks associated with the multiple vaccines given to children during critical developmental windows.”

To help spread the word of the Banks ruling, Generation Rescue also bought a full-page ad that will run in the USA Today on 02/25/2009, which has a daily circulation of 2,272,815.

Thoughtful House Center for Children on Court Ruling: MMR Causes Autistic Disorder
Court Rules MMR Vaccine Causes Autistic Disorder
Decision Contradicts Findings in Controversial Cedillo Case

(Austin, Texas) – The controversial decision by the US vaccine court that there was no link between MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccines and autism was a contradiction to a ruling issued by the same court in June of 2007. On Friday, February 20, 2009, just days after its controversial announcement denying the vaccine-autism link in the Cedillo case, the court awarded more than $3 million to the family of 10 year-old Bailey Banks (estimated lifetime support and damages) and confirmed that the child’s acute brain damage was a result of the MMR vaccine, which led to the autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) .

Although the US vaccine court continues official denials of any connection between the MMR shots and autism, it quietly settled the case with the Banks family. Special Master Richard Abell wrote that the Banks had successfully demonstrated “the MMR vaccine at issue actually caused the conditions from which Bailey suffered and continues to suffer.”

Awards have now been granted to three families because the vaccine court has decided there was a causative connection between the MMR 3 in 1 shot and brain damage in children where that damage resulted in an ASD . Vaccines have also been found to be causally related to autism spectrum disorders in 8 other cases by the same court. In the Banks’ decision, the court relied on the report from a complete neurological investigation, which included an MRI scan, 16 days after his MMR shot. He was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a neurological disorder characterized by inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that is known to follow immunization.

“I am personally aware of many, many parents who report these exact symptoms in their children following MMR immunization,” said Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Executive Director of Thoughtful House, an autism treatment center in Austin, Texas. “Very few children with autistic regression receive the proper work-up that Bailey had during the early stage of the disease, so a possible ADEM diagnosis may well have been missed in the other children. The MRI findings often disappear after the damage has been done.”

Signs of ADEM usually appear within a few days to a few weeks after immunization or infection and often start with gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms. The disease progresses to neurological deterioration including loss of eye contact, ataxia (incoordination), changes in mental status, delirium, lethargy, and seizures.

"The contradictory rulings from the Vaccine Court regarding vaccines and autism demonstrate that we still don't have a definitive answer," said Dr. Bryan Jepson, an autism specialist at Thoughtful House. “We need to realize that the question of MMR’s potential contribution to autism remains under scientific debate. Ultimately, the correct answer will come through honest, transparent and rigorous scientific study, not from a court bench.”

About Thoughtful House: Thoughtful House takes a multi-disciplinary approach to treating autism and supports a ‘safety-first’ vaccination policy that gives parents the option of choosing a single measles vaccine for their children. Thoughtful House is dedicated to research to scientifically determine if there is a link between MMR and other vaccines and the onset of autism. www.thoughtfulhouse.org

1) Bailey Banks suffered “Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)”. See page 2, Footnote 4. Office of the Special Master Document No. (02-0738V)
2) Misty Hyatt vs HHS: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/06/eveningnews/main3915703.shtml

Kienan Freeman vs HHS (01-390V): Special Master Hastings, Footnote 7. “It was noted at the hearing that Kienan’s neurologic disorder has features that might cause it to be labeled as “atypical autism” a condition within the category of “autistic spectrum disorder.”

Bailey Banks vs HHS (02-0738V)

2.21.2009

I Love You

I've been waiting sooooo long to hear "I Love You" from Holden, unprompted. He'll say it, if we say..."Say I love you". Or, if we say "I love you", we'll get echolalia and he'll repeat.

Today, I made him come to me and I told him I wanted a hug. So he threw his arms around my neck. While I was hugging him, he said "I tuh you". My response? "I tuh you too!"

I love that kid.

They're Autistic -- and They're in Love

click on the title of the post - it's worth reading, when you have time.

2.12.2009

vaccines didn't cause autism - or so they say, yet again

Click on the title to link to the CNN story.

This burns me. Someone on CNN made a comment about the story and it's so true. Just like he said ... Pharm companies will always win when it comes to these battles. Because, you can't fight the system with the system. They'll win everytime.

For those of us who live "autism" everyday, we know there's a reason our TYPICAL child regressed after being sick immediately following a set of vaccines. It's just that simple. There are millions of us. Yet, they still refuse to listen. Instead, they post stories like this because (hopefully) the pharm companies are finally taking a hit because people are choosing not to vaccinate. Look at the billboards - they're all over the place. Commercials about vaccinating your babies. You wouldn't have seen these, not even a year ago. So, at least we're making an impact as parents of children affected by vaccines. As Jenny says ... STUDY OUR KIDS. Test kids to make sure they can tolerate the vaccines. It seems so simple, yet they refuse, and instead, publish stories like this so that we all look crazy.

Me = pissed.

2.11.2009

hopes, dreams & wishes

When I pick Holden up from school, they bring him (and other kids in his class) out before the chaos of the actual dismissal bell. So, I usually pull up around 2:30pm, and they bring him out around 2:55pm. Normally, Jackson sleeps while we sit and wait. There's either a middle school or high school in the area as well, and everyday, I watch kids walk by - walking home from school. They're older. Probably in the age range of 12-16 or so. Typically, it's the same kids, sometimes they're different. Today, I realized that I do the same thing each time I see them. I watched one boy, probably 14, 15 years old today, and thought to myself ... God, I pray Holden will be able to do that. I pray he'll walk home from school like other "normal" kids. I hope he'll be independent and be a "typical" teenager. I watched as this kid listened to his iPod, with his backpack on, and typical teenager jeans and tennis shoes. I wondered if he were going home to do homework? Was he going home to get online and talk to his friends? Was he going home to help out around the house (yeah right!)? What was a typical afternoon for him? And I thought, and wondered...does his mother have any idea how incredibly lucky she is that she has healthy (I'm guessing), typical children?

I have to say that I feel a little guilty for thinking these thoughts. I think it's because I've had people tell me that I should love Holden "just the way he is", and not "try to change him to be something he's not". To "accept him!".

My response to those people who think that is I DO love him just the way he is. I love him, unconditionally. How could I not? He's my child. However, I refuse to believe that my little boy is the same inside as he is on the outside. Before he regressed, he was there. The light was on. His eyes sparkled. He laughed. He smiled. His eyes lit up when he saw us come through the door after a day out. He loved his sister. He loved our dog. He played with them both. He tried to communicate.

After he regressed, it all went away. No eye contact. No happiness. No interaction. No hugs. No sparkle in his eyes. Nothing.

I know that my son is still in that little body and mind and soul. I know that the sparkle is there, the love, the hugs, kisses, interaction and sense of humor. So, I refuse to "accept him" the way he is. I will fight to get him back until I do. In the meantime, I appreciate so much, his little triumphs and accomplishments. I savor the hugs (although not often), the kisses. And, I hope, dream, and wish for his recovery, and for the day I can watch him walking home from school with his iPod, backpack, and know that he's going home to be a "typical" teenager.

2.03.2009

holden's "report card" / iep update

Instead of a "report card", Holden receives an IEP update every 9 weeks. Here it is, in a nutshell:

Goal: Holden will master the skills needed to effectively communicate.
Comments: Holden can independently mand for juice, movie, cookie, raisin, bubbles and beads using sign language and vocal approximation. We require him to sign because his vocal approximations are not clear enough for his teacher to understand what he is asking for. His prompted mands are chips, candy, pins, beads, fish and cake. He has mastered "mama" from the Kaufman Speech Praxis and is working on 3 more words. He is also working on increasing his vocal approximations of mands "movie", "candy", "cookie", and "juice". He is a star at motor imitation having mastered 9 objectives this nine weeks.

Goal: Holden will improve fine and/or gross motor skills.
Comments: Holden has done exceptionally well climbing up and down the step stool to wash his hands and rinse his toothbrush. He is already learning now to pinch the clothespins to get them on the cup and should master this objective in the next nine weeks. Holden can string 5 beads on a string and we will now work on stringing smaller beads on thinner string.

Goal: Holden will improve cognitive skills.
Comments: Holden is very compliant now, he occasionally will tantrum when asked to sit down or blocked from doing his "stimmy circles", but that is no more than 2-3 times a week. Holden has mastered matching 3 items in a field of 3 and is working on several more objectives. Holden responds appropriately when told to "come here", "get a chair", "put away your toy", and "line up at the door" with minimal prompting.

Goal: Holden will improve personal-social skills.
Comments: Holden sits for the entire circle time with minimal reinforcement and participates in at least 50% of the songs and fingerplays. He sits at the table and tolerates playing alongside the other students. He will occasionally become interested in a toy another child is playing with and touch it or move it, but if offered his own toy, will not tantrum to get it.

Goal: Holden will improve daily living skills.
Comments: Holden has made great progress with the backpack routine. He comes in the room, takes his backpack off, attempts to hang it on the hook (he is offered little assistance), unzips with help and then takes out his lunch box and walks it over to the shelf where it goes. Will will start potty training the next 9 weeks.