Today marks the 2nd Anniversary of Ian's passing.  This anniversary was much more difficult for us as the wounds get torn open all over again.  It is not that we do not think of, talk to, pray for, talk about our lil' Ian every day, but there are just places we cannot let our minds wonder to or we wouldn't get out of bed each day.  Like the moment when we were told 'there is nothing more we can do for him. We will make it as painless as possible.'  How is that possible?  Making death painless?  I keep the actual moments of his passing private, they are mine and Scott's alone.  Or the moment where it is 3am and we are being escorted to our car by his nurses and we leave the hospital (and my place of employment) without our son....forever.  But I must return back for work eventually.  Or the moment the next morning when we woke up and we were literally lost in our lives and we realized that we didn't have the first clue how to plan a funeral for our son.  There is no grand Do-It-Yourself manual for planning your child's funeral.  But in all of this it was a day of reflection for us.  Scott and I healed our hearts a little bit today even if it was through a thousand tears.  We will go on tomorrow like nothing happened today because we have to.  The world still goes on, people 'need' us at work, and we have to put our smiles back on.  Well, not for Vance we don't, but for others we do.  Vance is a one year old who is healing his parents hearts without even knowing it.  He is a gift from God, a miracle.

 

Thank you to all our family, dear friends, and people we have not met for all your kind words, well wishes, and prayers on today and everyday.

 

This is a poem that I received from my mom today.  I can only hope and pray that this is what my son Ian is thinking and feeling about me.  I will read this every day.

 

 

My Mom is a Survivor

written by: Kay des'Ormeaux

 

My mom is a survivor, or so I've heard it said...

But I can hear her crying at night, when all others are in bed.

I watch her lay awake at night, and go to hold her hand...

She does not know I'm with her, to help her understand.

 

But like the sands on the beach, that never wash away...

I watch over my surviving mom, who thinks of me each day.

She wears a smile for others...a smile of disguise!

But through Heaven's door I see...tears flowing from her eyes.

 

My mom tries to cope with death, to keep my memory alive...

But anyone who truly knows her, knows it is her way to survive.

As I watch over my surviving mom, through Heaven's open door...

I try to tell her that angels protect me forevermore.

 

I know that does not help her, or ease the burden that she bears...

So if you get a chance, go visit her...and show her that you care.

For no matter what she says...no matter what she feels...

My surviving mom has a broken heart, that time will never heal.

 

We love you Ian.  We love you Vance.  Our sons are our everything.  They keep us alive each day.

 

God Bless,

The Gromowskis

Ian's 2 year Anniversary of passing away is right around the corner.  Call it 'mommy instinct', but I have felt the sorrow heavy on my heart.  We are so blessed with 2 amazing boys and being a mommy to both Ian and Vance is the most rewarding gift I could have ever received.  I love you Ian and Vance!

 

One of Vance's One Year Photos....

 

 

 

 

The below 'poem' is from Healing Hearts Newsletter I receive.  If only those who created the newsletter knew how much they helped others.

Moving On...

It’s what everyone

wants me to do

They all think that I should,

but no one tells me how.

Moving on...

Is it some kind of a trip?

Does it require a destination?

I hardly have energy

to be where I am.

Where would I find more?

Moving on...

Away from who I am now?

Away from all I have known?

Away from my pain?

Away from your death?

But where could I go

that all of this

would not go with me?

Nowhere, I think

Now if only they’d leave me alone.

When I am ready,

I will find my own way

To move on,

While taking you along

Reprinted with permission from

Grief Digest, Centering Corp.

Omaha Nebraska

402.553.1200

Today is a difficult day.  We should be celebrating Ian's birthday with cake and candles and presents and birthday songs.  Instead there are yellow roses, a mass in his name, tears, a balloon release and sadness that we will not see him grow up.  We are surrounded by a loving family and hugs, but it does not fill the hole in my heart.  If Ian had passed from a disease or terminal illness I think each day may have gotten easier, but he died because I signed a form.  I signed a form and allowed a foreign substance to enter into my son's tiny body because I thought it was best for him.  I know in my heart and have accepted that it is not my fault, but now I feel it is my duty to tell Ian's story so that other parents will educate themselves and not feel as I do.  I cannot imagine a worse feeling.

 

Our love for Ian cannot be described in words.  So I leave him with this,

 

 

Ian may not be on this earth with us, but he is our hearts, our souls, and our minds.  He is the driving force behind our courage and strength.

 

Vance gave his big brother a present today.  He said 'ball' for the first time.  Oh how proud we are of our lil' man Vance!

 

Happy Birthday Ian!!!!!

We love you!!! 

So blessings come in all sorts of ways....one of which I got this morning.  Fridays is normally my day off, but I was going to call in from home for a work conference meeting.  I had arranged for Vance to be watch and then the meeting was cancelled.  SO I was then able to get Ian's June Newsletter out AND FINALLY blog.  This newsletter is so important to me because I feel it is my way to both help parents who are in search of vaccine information AND to be a Mom to Ian.  We had a large struggle with our house closing.  In fact, we had all our stuff packed in trailers in our drive way for 2 weeks while we slept on the floor and Vance in his room that just had his crib (thank God Scott was smart enough to not pack that!).  It was horrible living conditions, but finally that Brookfield house finally released us of its evil spell on us and we closed and moved to our new HOME!  I emphasize HOME because this house in Franklin is more of a home then Brookfield ever was.  Since we signed the papers for that house Ian passed and got cancer and the list goes on....now we have a FRESH start and the Gromowski's are back!

 

To answer the questions about how I am doing these days...I can say OK.  I really am struggling with the daily thyroid replacement medication, but I guess it takes about a year to adjust.  I was a bit saddened to find out yesterday that I cannot give blood to the Blood Center for 5 YEARS because I had cancer!  Giving blood was one of my ways of 'giving back' because Ian was kept alive by platelet transfusions on a daily basis.  So PLEASE give blood if you can!  You could be saving another little Ian and giving their mommy and daddy one more day with him/her!

 

As for Vance, that little man is doing fabulous.  He is a crawling machine and is walking along things and standing on his own!!!  Watching him grow is truly the greatest blessing Scott and I have in our lives.  It is a bit bitter sweet because we often think about how Ian would have taught Vance many things, but we know Ian is in Vance's heart.  We joke that Ian must have had a STERN talk with his younger brother and told him to be the best little boy he could be because Vance is such a good baby.

 

I just sent out Ian's June 2009 Newsletter....it was a bit late this month and I apologize.  There was just so much going on in our lives.  Then I had a lot of logistical problems with the emailing.  If you received the email 2 times I apologize.  I actually just recruited a friend of mine, Katie, to help out because the response is so overwhelming for his website!  It is a huge weight from my shoulders to have the newsletter done this month!  On top of moving and Vance and work and keeping up with the thousands of emails....whew, crazy life!  Also thank you to Generation Rescue for their continued help and support!

 

I promise to blog more often with great information for everyone and also to update Ian's website information for parents researching vaccine information.

 

Hugs to all,

Deanna

 

As always I have attached an article:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Scott, Vance and I attended Autism Rocks fundraiser this Friday.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  It was great to see so many amazing people raising money for such an important cause.  I wish I didn't have to attend such an event......I wish autism did not exist, but it does and their are so many people there to support these children and their family.  GOD BLESS all of you!  My Generation Rescue Angel, Cindy Schultz, and the President Jenny Larson, run a local autism organization A.N.G.E.L. and they held this amazing fundraiser.  Please visit their website at www.angelautismnetwork.org.  Start small and make a difference in a child's life!  Below are pictures of our night......Vance made some new friends!!

 

 

I also am attaching a story that is a great resource for families with autistic children, but I think it is important for EVERYONE to read this to get a small feeling for what these families endure in their lives.  Put yourselves in their shoes next time you may be overwhelmed with your own child..... http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/04/massmutual-insurance-acknowledges-oncoming-flood-of-adults-with-autism-with-new-guide.html

 

I am hoping to start blogging more often once we have our house selling/buying taken care of.  I am doing well and the cancer news is 'trending in the right direction'!  I will be happy when one day I can blog that I am cancer free and a survivor!

 

Finally stay tuned to www.iansvoice.org as we have some exciting things happening!!!!

 

Hugs to all,

Deanna

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful comments and positive thoughts. 

 

Many inquired on my cancer status and I want to say that I am doing good.  There is still a long road to get my body adjusted because my thyroid was removed, but we will get there.  Cancer is really about positive thinking and while at times it is difficult I am lucky to have a great support system and amazing family to get me through.  We still have some time before we can say 100% that the cancer is gone, but believe me, I am being as proactive as possible.  Since my father had cancer at the same age, 31, and then died at 43 upon its return.......I will not let that happen to me and my family. 

 

With that said Scott, Vance and I have made changes in our lives.  Living healthier, eating MUCH better, not intoxicating our body with medications, and going as 'green' as we can, I plan on being around for my family for a LONG time to come!

 

As always I have included some interesting information for you.  Please watch the attached youtube video (now on Ian's homepage) and read the followingn article:

 

 

The following link starts with the below information:

 

In Chicago, Homefirst Medical Services treats thousands of never-vaccinated children whose parents received exemptions through Illinois' relatively permissive immunization policy. Homefirst's medical director, Dr. Mayer Eisenstein, told us he is not aware of any cases of autism in never-vaccinated children; the national rate is 1 in 175, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We have a fairly large practice," Eisenstein told us. "We have about 30,000 or 35,000 children that we've taken care of over the years, and I don't think we have a single case of autism in children delivered by us who never received vaccines. "We do have enough of a sample," Eisenstein said. "The numbers are too large to not see it. We would absolutely know. We're all family doctors. If I have a child with autism come in, there's no communication. It's frightening. You can't touch them. It's not something that anyone would miss."

 

Hello Everyone,
 
I am blessed to say Ian's Voice is being heard all over the world.  We have been contacted by parents in the United States, Poland, Australia, Bosnia, Mexico, and the list goes on.

But I must admit I was shocked and excited to get a voicemail from Jenny McCarthy and Stan Kurtz (www.stankurtz.com).  Jenny  McCarthy and Jim Carrey are board members at Generation Rescue (wwwgenerationrescue.com) which is an autism organization.
 
My goal when starting Ian's Voice was to share Ian's story, help direct parents with vaccine questions, AND to reach Jenny McCarthy.  I wanted to reach Jenny because I knew she would understand my situation and help get Ian's voice heard.
 
With this said......
 
Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey will be on Larry King Live THIS Friday at 8:00pm CST.  It is the intention of Jim Carrey to speak very briefly about Ian's passing due to the Hep B and to show Ian's pictures. So PLEASE tune in!
 
Now I have been informed that sometimes things don't go as planned and Ian's portion could be cut from airing, but something in my heart tells me no matter what it will be a great show to watch.
 
Also Ian's story will be a full article in the May issue of a medical magazine by the name of Medical Veritas (http://www.medicalveritas.com/).  Please check out the website to order a copy.
 
Thank you everyone for your continued support!

 

 

It has been some time since I have posted anything, but there is always a lot going on with the Gromowskis!  We have our house up for sale and have had a lot of showings but this means our house needs to be meticulous 24/7.  Now with an 8 month old who loves toys (and a jumper that takes up half our family room) it is pretty difficult to keep things clean.  Also, I have been working on some endeavors with Ian's website, YEAH!  I am going back to work soon so have been mentally and physically preparing for that.  Oh yeah, and recovering from cancer, strep throat, rebuilding my muscles, AND most importantly enjoying Vance!  He is growing into his personality and he is just as laid back as Daddy, BUT of course, he has a little spice of Mommy in him too!

 

Ian's Life Story will soon be in the medical magazine Medical Veritas (http://www.medicalveritas.com/).  Here is a bit of their mission.... Concerned patients and even some healthcare providers are becoming aware of major deficiencies in medicine that are promoting continual cyles of treatment and disease. We, the editorial staff of Medical Veritas^®, are dedicated to restoring objectivity and accuracy of reporting in medical science. Our peer-reviewed medical journal will aspire towards discovering and disclosing medical truth or “veritas”—whether about vaccines, medicines, disease mechanisms, or other medical/health concerns. Specifically you will read honest opinions even when such opinions go contrary to vested interests and regimented medical practices.
     We are committed to uncovering medical truth by (1) looking beyond the biased, self-serving, selective presentations of data; (2) researching for forgotten or suppressed concepts and data; (3) setting a model for other publications; (4) encouraging others with inside information to come forward; and (5) providing a sounding board for presentations of views that may be in conflict with mainstream medicine or science.  Their is more to read but click here - http://www.medicalveritas.com/aboutmvi.html - to read the rest of their mission.

Hello Everyone,

 

So I have to admit that I am having a hard time keeping up with website!  The feedback is overwhelming….in a really fantastic way.  I had no idea that Ian would touch as many lives as he has.  Thousands!  I am hoping someday it will be millions! I want to thank everyone for all of their beautiful guestbook sign-ins as well as those who choose not to sign the guestbook but contact me directly.  The stories have touched my heart in a way you could not even imagine. Unfortunately, it confirms my fear that there are way too many ‘other Ian’s’ out there.  It breaks my heart.  I also want everyone to know that I read each and every one of the emails we receive and do respond to everyone that contacts me via the “contact us” link.  It may take me a month, but I will eventually get to EVERYONE!  Also a lot of people ask how sweet lil' Vance is doing and he is fantastic.  Healthy as a horse and all he does is smile.  I think his big brother Ian had a talk with lil' Vance and said, "Mama and Dada have had a rough time of things, you HAVE to be a good boy or you will have to face your BIG BROTHER!"

 

I had my best friend, Sarah, from grade school recently contact me via Ian’s website.  I have not talked to her since high school (and I am now 32 years old).  She is a Behavioral Clinician in Oregon now and she was doing research for work and came across Ian’s website.  Ian is getting me in touch with such amazing people and has now connected me with my best friend from grade school…..what a special boy I have.  His magic keeps on working!  In my emails with Sarah she asked me a question about vaccines and I sent her the below email (and I have added some information) and I thought I would share it because it is important info:

 

We received 12 vaccines and kids today get 36 with two more to be added this year.  It is unthinkable.  If parents knew what was really in the shots and the possible side effects they would never vaccinate.  The reporting of adverse reactions is done by VAERS and that information is what the CDC uses for their statistics.  BUT most doctors believe that kids cannot have a reaction to vaccines (which is absurd) so they do not report it and are not held accountable for not doing so.  SO the public doesn't know the true numbers because there it goes unreported.

 

Ian's neonatologist believed it was the vaccine (she told us 'off the record').  She requested information from the CDC and they sent her a CD that listed for the year of 2006 7 infants died after the Hep B, hundreds of other had life threatening reactions.  This is not made public knowledge or reported in mainstream media because it is not 'statistically significant'.  BUT when there is one measles outbreak with maybe 30 to 40 individuals and one child dies EVERYONE knows about it and is scolded for not vaccinating.  The one child who died of measles is made headline news, but the 7 children who died from ONE VACCINE (not mentioning the 35 others) in one year, they are not statistically significant?  It just blows my mind how simple THE TRUTH is, but we parents are labeled 'crazy' and 'uninformed' and 'uneducated'.  The problem is we are TOO sane and TOO informed and TOO educated and 'they' do not like that.  How can people ignore this simple truth is beyond me.  Do people really believe that parents are too dumb (for lack of a better term) to see that their child is developing normally, they get the vaccine, and they regress?  It isn’t rocket science, but yet these parents are referred to as ‘liars’ because doctors feel ‘something else’ must have been the cause and the parents just didn’t ‘see it’.  Are you kidding me?  It is so frustrating.

 

All of Ian’s doctors kept saying, ‘something insulted his system’, but we can’t figure it out.  WHAT!?  This is the honest to God’s truth.  Here is Ian’s story summed up in 5 sentences:

 

1.    Ian had meconium aspiration at birth. 

2.    Ian was ready to go home per doctors orders so was given Hep B shot (even though he had a fever the day of and still considered mildly ill). 

3.    Ian received Hep B shot, no other medication was given or any other treatment per medical records.

4.    Ian became fatally ill within hours. 

5.    Ian died.

 

How can you not see what insulted his system?  These are supposed to be highly educated doctors caring for my son and they wouldn’t even consider the vaccine as the culprit.  But per the CDC it indicates it CAN happen.  This is SO SIMPLE, why are they ignoring the truth?  It is said that when there is a reaction after a vaccine (like Ian's or autism) it is a "coincidence"!  Really?  What if they had a reaction after an antibiotic, or another drug, or peanut butter........those things would be ruled as one of the culprits.  But when it is the vaccine, it is listed as "coincidence".  Now I ask, what if this was your child?

 

If this was your child, would you be content with or even consider the "coincidence" hypothesis from the doctors?  NO, now that would be crazy.

 

Family says court autism ruling is wrong

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Comments

February 13, 2009

By Jane Huh Post-Tribune staff writer

David Troutman sees history repeating itself as parents fight to find the cause of autism.

"Go back to the tobacco industry," said the father of two sons with autism. "This is like déjà-vu."

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims said Thursday that vaccines do not cause autism.

The court said the evidence was overwhelmingly contrary to the parents' claims — and backed years of science that found no risk.

The ruling was awaited by health authorities and families who began presenting evidence in June 2007. More than 5,500 claims, including two from the Troutman family, have been filed by families seeking compensation through the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The claims are reviewed by special masters serving on the U.S. Court of Claims.

More than half a million U.S. children have autism with costly health care needs that often put an unprecedented financial strain on their families, national data show. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction. Those affected often have trouble communicating, and they exhibit unusual or severely limited activities and interests.

The ruling was "a blow. It upset me terribly," said Troutman, a Hobart resident.

Troutman not only believes childhood vaccinations are attributable to the disorder but that proof of that link exists. He sees a parallel between the pharmaceutical industry and the tobacco industry.

"If you go back to the history of the tobacco industry, it's the same stuff we're going through now. If you don't pay attention to history, you're going to follow it."

To win, attorneys for the families had to show that it was more likely than not that the autistic symptoms in the children were directly related to a combination of the measles-mumps-rubella shots and other shots that at the time carried a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal.

The ruling means that families filing claims based on that theory — potentially thousands — aren't entitled to federal compensation, though they can appeal.

Under the government's vaccine compensation program, awards to the estate in a vaccine-related death are limited to $250,000 plus attorneys' fees and costs. Awards to individuals with an injury judged to be vaccine-related have averaged more than $1 million.

"We're trying to stop this," Troutman said. "This is not about a settlement or becoming rich."

Lisa Fox, local chapter president of the National Autism Association, said Thursday she's heard from several disappointed families who were hopeful and thought "maybe this time, we'll have a victory."

"Parents want answers," Fox said. "They want validation that they're not crazy. They didn't get it today."

Fox said she's not surprised about Thursday's federal ruling, however.

"In any instance where parents try to make it known that there are certain subsets of the population that are sensitive (to vaccinations) it's always shot down."

Contact Jane Huh at 477-6019 or jhuh@post-trib.com. The Associated Press contributed to this article./i

 

Hello!

The past couple of days have been trying because I am starting to get stronger and feel ‘more normal’ each day BUT I still need to keep my distance from Vance.  After Friday I can start interacting with Vance on a more normal basis, but I need to be careful of how I interact with him and I cannot kiss him for another week……talk about heartbreaking! 

My results from the doctor are always so frustrating.  Nothing can be direct.  There are always subjective answers and when you are dealing with your life and CANCER you want straight forward answers.  Is that too much to ask?  I did find out that the cancer did NOT spread.  But they cannot answer if my thyroid area is clear of cancer until the 6 months point.  How frustrating. 

There is a lot going on right now in the ‘vaccine and autism world’.  I have not decided how to comment on these topics/issues as of yet, but I did want to post this article that I found interesting and think you will too.  Parents-please pay attention to both sides of the topic, your child's life could count on it!

More tomorrow…..(oh, and I am working on the Newsletter, I promise!  We just put our house up for sale and this is an added stress, but we bought this house for Ian and it just isn't the same without him.)

Hugs to all!

The Confidence Gap 

 

Why the Obama administration needs to restore public faith in the safety of childhood vaccines.

 

Dr. Louis Z. Cooper, Heidi Larson and Dr. Samuel L. Katz

Newsweek Web Exclusive

 

The mainstream media applauded the U.S. federal "vaccine court"'s decision Feb. 12 that the MMR vaccine and vaccines containing ethyl mercury as a preservative did not cause autism in three children chosen as test cases. But that's not enough to repair the damage already done to the U.S. vaccine program.

 

It's hard for a single court decision to compete with ongoing allegations from grieving parents and celebrities that vaccines created an epidemic of autism. Those allegations have generated confusion and fear in the minds of many young parents, reduced public trust in the remarkable benefits and safety of U.S. immunization programs and put both vaccinated and unvaccinated children at increased risk from preventable diseases. Furthermore, significant unanswered questions about the safety of vaccines have been documented by the Institute of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. For example, are some few individuals genetically more susceptible to adverse reactions from certain vaccines? A more common worry among parents is "Are too many vaccines given too soon?"

 

Parents of newborn infants can't take two years of study, as did the vaccine court, to sort out sound science from junk, innuendo and unsubstantiated allegation. As a result, rates of vaccine refusal have climbed to levels allowing clustered outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, pertussis and meningitis, posing a threat to those unvaccinated because of medical contraindications, age and parental choice. For example, in Washington, statewide refusal rates now exceed 5 percent, including rates exceeding 15 percent in some counties. Other states show doubling rates. Also worrisome is the disproportionate amount of time pediatricians must now spend to assure fearful parents that vaccination is the best choice for their child. At what level will the growing refusal rates put us at risk of major epidemics?

 

What has been missing in order to give parents confidence that immunization is one of the best ways to protect the health of their children? Our national failure falls into two categories. First, we've had inadequate ongoing, credible education of the public and health professions from trusted public-health officials concerning the known and unknown benefits and risks of vaccines. Today's parents have little fear of diseases they mistakenly think have been eliminated by vaccines. Second, there's been grossly insufficient investment in research on the safety of immunization. Together, these failures contributed to undermining of public confidence.

 

This is not the first time parental concern has threatened to deprive our children of the benefits of immunization. In the early 1980s, a spate of lawsuits threatened to drive vaccinemakers and doctors out of the immunization business. Then three highly polarized groups—parents who believed vaccines injured their children, vaccine companies and pediatricians—collaborated to create the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (NCVIA). That law, a pragmatic, compromise solution, saved a then-fragile U.S. immunization effort. It offered financial relief to vaccine-injured children, prevented the demise of a vaccine industry that had dwindled rapidly from 26 to four companies and protected pediatricians whose careers then were being jeopardized by malpractice suits, even though they were properly administering vaccines. Over the past two decades, that law has distributed $1.8 billion with financial compensation to more than 2,200 families and individuals, encouraged dramatic expansion of the vaccine industry and allowed pediatricians to remain the mainstay of our successful immunization program.

 

The vaccine injury act put the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in charge of planning and monitoring the effectiveness and safety of our national immunization program. There's plenty of financial incentive for industry, venture capitalists, government agencies, clinicians and the academic community to develop and distribute vaccines. In contrast, without federal government investment, no such incentives are available to support research on vaccine safety.

 

The responsibility for development, licensing, purchase, distribution and monitoring of vaccines is divided among a handful of federal agencies. Because of the wide range of scientific skills needed to study the safety of vaccines, we need a coordinated plan with funds to match. But no such plan has ever been put in effect. (In the last few months of his tenure under President George W. Bush, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt did make some progress, but the effort was unfunded, incomplete and hampered by his short, lame-duck status.)

 

What remains to be done? The incoming secretary of HHS, with the backing of the White House, must carry out aggressively the duties assigned by the 1986 law: development and implementation of a national vaccine plan that includes adequate funds for communication and vaccine-safety research. Given the current distrust of government, development and accountability for the plan deserves serious, transparent input, not just by scientists but also by more than token participation of the public. It is that public whose trust has been eroded.

 

As parents, grandparents and health professionals, we know how immunization has revolutionized child health. But to maintain that progress, we must restore public trust in vaccinations. Ignoring public anxiety about childhood vaccines—and the increase in parents who skip or stretch out immunizations—risks even more serious outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. We need visible leadership from the incoming secretary of HHS, supported by President Obama. The new public-health team must describe clearly the known benefits and risks of vaccines—and take into account safety issues as perceived by the public and scientific community. We know the new administration has a long list of problems to confront, but there are few issues more urgent than the health of our children. We hope they act quickly.

 

Dr. Louis Z. Cooper is professor emeritus of pediatrics at Columbia University and a former president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Heidi Larson is an associate research professor at Clark University and a research associate at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. Dr. Samuel L. Katz is the W. C. Davison Professor & chair emeritus of the department of pediatrics at Duke University School of Medicine and a former chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice at the CDC and former chair of the AAP's Committee on Infectious Diseases.

 

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/185986