My Vaccine Journey: Early Memories

I grew up knowing that vaccines come with risks. One of my earliest memories is of waking up in my neighbor’s bed. Why? In the night, my parents and brother left in an ambulance after my baby brother had a seizure. Later, his pediatrician blamed the seizure on the old DTP vaccine. My mom was advised not to get him vaccinated for pertussis again. Aside from that, my brother and I continued to get fully vaccinated according to the CDC schedule (it was a much smaller schedule back then!). My parents were not against vaccines, yet I was keenly aware of the fact that they do come with risks! Now I feel very strongly about weighing the benefits, risks, and alternatives for each vaccine.