Personal Testimonies

Preteens are vaccinated against important diseases that may cause suffering while they are young or later in life.

Christine Baze

  • HPV (human papillomavirus)

Christine Baze, a Boston musician and cervical cancer survivor, shares her personal story to educate women about human papillomavirus (HPV) and the importance of vaccination.

Eduardo

  • Tetanus (lockjaw)

In my quick exam of Eduardo, I hadn’t seen a scratch. I suspected tetanus, but there’s no definitive diagnostic test for the disease because the toxin hides away in the central nervous system.

John Fuller

  • Meningococcal

Cadet John Fuller at the Virginia Military Institute describes how, within two days, he went from feeling fine to being in the intensive care unit, fighting meningococcal disease.

Joseph Kepferle

  • Meningococcal

Joseph Kepferle’s father describes the pain of having a healthy college-aged son become ill and die within 24 hours of meningococcal meningitis.

Martin McGowan

  • Influenza (flu)

Diane and Mike McGowan’s healthy 15-year-old son, Martin, died from influenza-related complications in 2005. “One flu shot could have saved his life,” said Diane. “As his mother, I wish that he had been vaccinated.”

Ryan Milley

  • Meningococcal

My name is Frankie Milley. This is my story of the needless death of my only child, Ryan, to a vaccine-preventable form of bacterial meningitis.

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