Janet Lambert: Those who have seen dread disease believe in vaccines

I do not want history repeating itself. As a teenager in the 1950s, my best friend and neighbor contracted polio, requiring her to be in an iron lung for a year. She was fortunate the experience left her with no ill-affects. Later, I met and became close friends with people who were crippled from polio.

We adopted our first child in 1965 and realized he could not hear. I contacted the Children’s Home Society and discovered his biological mother had suffered from German measles early in her pregnancy. This was during the time they were developing the Rubella vaccine. Since there were no educational opportunities in our area, we moved to Tacoma, Wash., and discovered they were scrambling for teachers because of the influx of deaf children. I’m sure this was due to the German measles epidemic of the late ’50s and ’60s which left many children deaf but also with heart problems and other disabilities.

My older sister had whooping cough. She survived but many did not. I will never forget the sound of that horrible cough. I am so thankful my adopted children (and now their children) all had vaccinations and have been healthy. Please vaccinate so history is not repeated.

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Janet Lambert: Those who have seen dread disease believe in vaccines."