See, hear and please share our new music video. “Angel Wings” Produced by Meningitis Angels. Real hearts, real lives, real stories, real love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELVflh0DTms
Both DEADLY, but only one is vaccine preventable. So Vaccinate!!!
The signs and symptoms of Ebola:
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola, but the average is 8 to 10 days. Death is common. |
Meningitis/meningococcemia symptoms In addition to a stiff neck, can include:
Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 10 days after exposure and death or complete debilitation can occur within 24 hours or less |
If you think you are somone you love may have either of these diseases seek emergency care immediately. You may even express your concern when making that 911 call to prevent the spread.
For more information on Ebola or Meningococcal Meningitis or other vaccine preventable diseases; visit http://www.CDC.gov or for meningitis visit http://www.Meningitis-Angels.org
Please Dn’t W8 2 L8 2 Vaxn8
Frankie Milley
3 Moms, 3 Choices, You Decide! by Frankie Milley
Had this mom in Africa had access to a vaccine that could have prevented her family and even her own life from being taken, I have no doubt that she would have chose the vaccine. Instead she had to make a choice to let one child go in order to try and save her other children. Now her little family is just gone with the exception of a heartbreaking photo of “The Little Boy on the Bucket” a lasting symbol of what can happen when deadly disease strikes and there is not a vaccine
Finally a mother who made a choice not to vaccinate but instead expose her child to a possibly deadly disease.
One simply has to walk around an old cemetery to realize the value of vaccine. For me it is a constant pain in my heart, a stroll down a hallway filled with pictures and memories of my sweet boy and a grave stone with his name.
For the thousands of parents in the Ebola outbreak it is trying to survive, not being able to comfort their children, while stepping over other dead children in the streets.
For the parent who chooses not to vaccinate but expose their children to deadly disease, I have only these words. I believe if infants and children had a choice of a vaccine over deadly and debilitating disease they would choose vaccine. They don’t have a voice or a choice. We have to be that voice, the voice truth, real science, prevention and life
How many must be debilitated or die and how many tears must we cry before they listen.
PBS NOVA Vaccines – Calling the Shots
IMPORTANT ALERT: PBS NOVA Vaccines – Calling the Shots premieres tonight!
Please SHARE!!!
Some really great friends and people are involved in this amazing film.
Now matter what side the feence you are on with vaccines! Please watch tonight!!
PBS NOVA Vaccines – Calling the Shots > Wednesday, September 10
Many PBS stations on East Standard Time and Central Time will be airing President Obama’s address live at 9 p.m (EST) and 8:00 p.m. (CST).
The PBS NOVA program, Vaccines—Calling the Shots, will air immediately following coverage of the President’s address at approximately 9:20 p.m. (EST) and 8:20 p.m. (CST). Please share this with everyone you know.
For More Information: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/vaccines-calling-shots.html
A Gift for Baby Shawn “Preventing Pertussis”
It had been almost 12 years since Ryan’s vaccine preventable meningitis had taken his life.A loss that still hovered our family like a terrible nightmare which we would never wake from.
Then the announcement came brining extreme joy and excitement to our family. The first baby in 12 years was to be born into our family.
Mom was given the Tdap during pregnancy.
I thought about a sweet family in Texas, whose baby, in and emergency was delivered, by dad, at home. Grand pa had been ill for a few weeks with what was thought to be a cold then dad began to show the same symptoms with a bad cough.
This beautiful healthy baby girl was born and one month later she died from pertussis. If only the vaccine had been recommended or required as it is in some states now.
Those of us throwing the baby shower for baby Shawn, decided to ask everyone who was attending the shower, who plan to visit or hold the baby be vaccinated with Tdap and bring proof to the shower.
Thus a gift for Baby Shawn.
Vaccines are the gift of life and love for our infants, children and teens. Remeber adults and the elderly need vaccines too.
Pertussis is a deadly vaccine preventable disease. Thousands of infants have died in recent years form this deadly vaccine preventable disease.
We at Meningitis Angels challenge all of those who are celebrating the birth of a new baby be vaccinated.
Frankie Milley
Vaccinate or Not? That is the question or is it?
Awake at 4 a.m. as usual; going through the daily press releases and media forums on meningitis and other vaccine preventable diseases, holding my breath, knowing that once again I will read about a child dying from a horrible disease that was vaccine preventable, I came across several articles on the documentary film “Invisible Threat.” As a mother whose only child died from a vaccine preventable form of meningococcal meningitis and a mom who was featured in the film for that reason, I have to say, I am disappointed and even shocked that anyone or group would take offense or worse “go after” as we say in Texas, the high school students, who made the film in such vicious ways.
We as Americans are always concerned and vocal about freedom of the press in our country but sometimes it seems, we are only for it, if we totally agree with it and it supports our views.
A few years ago, I was approached by student film makers. They stated they wanted to make a fair and unbiased film about vaccine preventable diseases and vaccines.
I believe when the public has an opportunity to see the film, they will see the film did just that. A few of them even stated, they were not sure what they personally thought about vaccines themselves.
Of course, I jumped at the chance to share my precious Ryan’s story and by doing so hopefully; once again, I could prevent other families from dealing with what all of us at Angels deal with everyday.
Of course, I believe in vaccines because a vaccine could have saved my son’s life. I have seen time after time that a vaccine could have prevented horrible debilitation and death from preventable diseases.
However we must focus on the real issue addressed in these daily articles around a movement slandering and trying to prohibit the film from being shown.
Trust me, when I say there are many films and materials out there that I wish weren’t, not only on this but many issues. However I also believe we have to step outside that small, sometime even selfish world we create for ourselves and we have to respect and protect everyone’s right to voice their opinions.
I believe, that for the first time, in this never ending vaccine controversy, this film has given the opportunity for real open discussion from both sides.
As I was allowed to watched the finished product, even though a strong vaccine advocate for obvious reasons, I was compelled to listen to all parents and experts on both sides featured in the film. I personally understood the concerns of both sides of the issue. I felt the pain and confusion of the parents and I was reminded of my own feeling of horrible preventable loss once again.
I thought to myself these kids really did an excellent job. Maybe for the first time, because of it, we can actually get real dialogues going on this important issue.
With the outbreaks of diseases such as meningitis, measles, mumps, influenza, pertussis and even polio like syndrome across our country and serious outbreaks of polio and deadly diseases in other parts of the world, which we so often hear are only a plane ride away, we must all strive to make sure accurate information is given to parents about these deadly diseases and the vaccines to prevent them so parents can make informed and educated decisions. We want do that by name calling and false accusations. We want do that by trusting just anything we read on the Internet . We will do that by making sure we all strive to communicate with each other and seek out fact based information on the diseases and the vaccines which prevent them. I know from personal experience sitting down with parents who were vaccine hesitant/resistant and having actual, open, non intimidating discussions, just parent to parent, great truth was revealed and confusion deleted.
There is a quote that says, “The truth shall set you free.” Gloria Steinem a feminist activist said, “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” Think about that for awhile!
Because I have spent the last almost 17 years seeking the truth about why Ryan died, I found that the truth is vaccines are the most safe and effective way to prevent deadly vaccine preventable disease.
If I had known what I know now about meningococcal meningitis and the vaccine that could have prevented it, I would still have my precious boy with me.
Visit http://www.CDC.gov for the most updated information on vaccine preventable diseases and the vaccines to prevent them.
Mother’s Day Lost
Mother’s Day Lost! Vaccine could have prevented it!
Another Mother’s Day is about to come and go. It’s 3 a.m. in the morning and once again sleep is replaced with tears, memories and another dreaded Mother’s Day lost. Because of a vaccine preventable form of meningococcal meningitis, I face another one without my only child’s voice to speak his love, his arms to hug and his life to share.
As I sit here and write, my mind goes back to a time when a tiny little baby boy would climb into my lap, bottle and blanky in hand and say, “sing me Elvis mommy.” I would sing Elvis songs, mostly “Love Me Tender” until he fell asleep in my arms, this beautiful gift from God that brought me so much joy.
His life all in front of him, it seemed like only days before he stood before me a young man graduating high school. He would share his dreams and hopes with me (now over six foot tall) and pat me on the head, hug me and say “Bear loves the momma.”
Little did I know that in less than a month from that day, he would lay on an emergency room table, blood coming from every orifice of his body and his very life drained from that beautiful body.
Standing in a corner of an emergency treatment room as I watched his dad tell him “Daddy loves you baby boy” my heart in so much pain that I could hardly breathe. Ryan’s last words were “I know.” Then his voiced grew silent and in its’ place the voice of a doctor pronouncing time of death.
This was all preventable. No one had told me about a vaccine that could have saved him. I didn’t have a choice.
Sadly, today the voices of infants, children, teens and adults are still being silenced by this and other horrible preventable diseases. It is time that all of us, as mothers, stand up and speak out for all the children.
We must speak out for vaccines that can prevent horrible diseases that can take the lives and the voices of our children away from us. We must help educate on these diseases such as meningococcal and pneumococcal meningitis, measles, mumps, polio, influenza, HPV, hepatitis A & B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Rubella, chicken pox, Hib and diseases that are preventable with vaccines. We must advocate for the use of the vaccines that can save lives.
This Mother’s Day, I can still hear that tiny voice saying “Sing me Elvis mommy.” I can feel little fingers moving my mouth when I did not start soon enough. I can hear a tall, beautiful young man say, The Bear loves the momma.
However the words to “Love me Tender” remind me that I will never be the parent at a wedding, I will never hold a grandchild and when Bob or I have leave this earth, we will not have the comfort of a child to hold us in our loneliness.
I believe if children had a voice and or choice they would choose vaccine over deadly disease, but they don’t! So we, the mothers have to be that voice, the voice of life, health and truth. We must protect them with all that we have and know. We must make accurately informed decisions on vaccinating against these deadly diseases.
Don’t let the music and the voices of the children be silenced. Don’t let your Mother’s Day be lost.
Love, protect and vaccinate your children.
Ryan’s mom, Frankie
Love Me Tender
Love me tender,
love me sweet,
never let me go.
You have made my life complete,
and I love you so.
Love me tender,
love me true,
all my dreams fulfilled.
For my darlin’ I love you,
and I always will.
Love me tender,
love me long,
take me to your heart.
For it’s there that I belong,
and we’ll never part.
Love me tender,
love me dear,
tell me you are mine.
I’ll be yours through all the years,
till the end of time.
(When at last my dreams come true
Darling this I know
Happiness will follow you
Everywhere you go).
PS:
My sweet mom died with a secondary infection of Hib pneumonia. Also vaccine preventable.