Chinese Catastrophe

Dear God in the morning. I was standing at the end of the driveway with Miss Mia waiting for her school bus. I picked up the New York Times. The cover photo nearly knocked me over. Mother and Dad tending to the body of their 8 year old daughter, who was killed in the earthquake. They married late. They have one child, as is required in China. A daughter. They kept her. And now they've lost her. Imagine how many families are grieving the loss of their one precious child.

Click HERE to see a powerful slideshow of the devastation and true human tragedy in China.


Why does this tragedy seem to affect me more than others? Maybe because of the children? I don't know. Yesterday I was very down in the dumps. Today I'm the luckiest woman on earth with three kids who will toddle off the school bus later today and whether they can say hello, can't say hello doesn't really matter.

Dr. Bernadine Healy knows the inside truth on autism and vaccines and the lack of studies by our gov't and has no reason to lie.

I realize I sound like a tin foiled hatted conspiracy theorist to those of you outside of the my quadrant of the autism world, but Dr. Bernadine Healy, former head of the NIH is a reliable source. And since she's no longer on the gov't payroll and her husband is retired as the head of the Cleveland Clinic, she is free to speak her mind. And her conscience. The government knows autism (some? most?) and other brain damage is caused by vaccines.....

I tuned in this morning to http://www.abcradio.com/ to listen to Don Imus live. Dr. Bernadine Healy, former head of NIH and Sheryl Atkisson from CBS were on to discuss vaccines. From today's program:

Sharyl Attkisson reports: CBS was tipped off to cases as far back as 1991 where the gov't is paying families for brain damage for vaccine cases - the gov't is not tracking which of them would be called autism. Healy was shocked.

Points brought up by Dr. Healy:

The Poling case is so important.

The principle of herd immunity drives vaccine thinking because of that there's a fear in public health community that people will stop getting vaccines.

Public Health officials feel: We are challenging something too important let's not do the studies or the science."

People would be surprised to know there are over 1300 cases awarded by vaccine court. We need to study that. The science hasn't been done.

The research on this (mercury in vaccines) is scant. NIH study in primates showed ethyl mercury left more mercury in the brain.

We're afraid to do the research.

Sheryl Attkisson talking about Dr. Healy.

Poling case piqued Healy's curiosity.

She realized that we weren't getting the full story for the last decade.

She had a sense of outrage.

Medical voices saying the same thing and easy to paint them with the same brush. When she says something like this agreeing with people are are considered off center it means something.

CBS news was very interested in pursuing any story that has merit and value and people would be interested.

No causal evidence. Dr. Healy pointed out that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

She believes they (gov't) haven't looked because people would stop vaccinating.

Vaccination doesn't have to be all or nothing. There's something in between if you can identify if there are susceptible children.

Dr. Healy expressed herself as very pro-vaccine. She was surprised about things (studies) that haven't been done. Like on self-selected kids in the vaccine court. Find things that make them susceptible so side affects from vaccines.

CBS was tipped off to cases as far back as 1991 where the gov't is paying families for brain damage for vaccine cases - the gov't is not tracking which of them would be called autism. Healy was shocked.

Ah say! Ah say! Did the foormah head of the NIH say we need to, I say we need to look at vacciiiiines and autism? Ah say, that's craaazy talk!


We'd like to see how the Offits, Tayloes and Gerberdings attempt to impugn "loudmouth" Dr. Bernadine Healy who says, "the government has been too quick to dismiss the possibility of a vaccine-autism link" in THIS CBS report by correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.

Today, a second round of autism test cases begins in federal vaccine court. Tonight on the CBS Evening News, we'll have exclusive interviews with the two families who are bringing the cases: two of nearly 5,000 autism cases that have been filed in this special court. The government and many scientists have consistently maintained for more than a decade that there is no link between vaccines and autism. The Institute of Medicine issued a report in 2004 that was intended to put the controversy to rest, saying that the weight of the body of scientific evidence does not show a causal link between vaccines and autism. However, other scientists and parents disagree.

For our report, we interviewed Dr. Bernadine Healy, the former head of the National Institutes of Health and a member of the Institute of Medicine who breaks with her colleagues in this exclusive CBS News interview: Dr. Healy says the government has been too quick to dismiss the possibility of a vaccine-autism link, and that it should be explored with renewed vigor.

Rosemary Harris' "Pushing Up Daisies"
Wow! My husband bought me a book for Mother's day! Two! One is Janet Evanovich's first three Stephanie Plum books in one hardcover. Love it. Of course, I've read all three books umpteen times. First as an avid fan and lately as a writer. But it's a treat to have them in one safe place on my bookshelf, all nice and clean. My originals are a bit worn by now!

The second book is by Rosemary Harris, who happens to live in Fairfield County (and Manhattan) where I live! Her cover art is fabulous (those daisies look oh so Picasso!)and I'd have pulled this book off the shelf and bought it myself. Is Mark great, or what? Oh, I also got some girly Lavender shower stuff from Blue Tulip. Very nice. I never buy myself that kind of stuff. I'm a real un-girl that way. So it's a treat to have some lovely potions with which to pamper myself.

Rosemary's website has a nifty "What are you" ditty for flowers. Check mine out - completely accurate. I've never been a sweet pea or a rose or a shrinking violet. Snap dragon? Oh yes, that's me!

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

May 20 is the first anniversary of Miss Snark's final blog post. Snarklings everywhere are encouraged to post tributes on their blogs. Patricia Wood will host a gathering of Snarklings and invite everyone to leave a comment thanking Miss Snark for her contributions to the online writing community.

I urge everyone who knew Miss Snark to visit Pat's blog on May 20 and leave a message. It will get through.

Please pass the word along.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's day can bring with it many emotions. The overwhelming emotion and pride you feel for on your first Mother's day. The excitement of your first pregnant Mother's day. The wonder of motherhood as you hold your adopted infant. The satisfaction of your 30th Mother's day, as your grown child visits. The sadness of the memory of Mother's day for the woman whose child has died.

The melancholy and sense of loss of a woman who had a miscarriage and instead of holding her baby is holding her head in her hands. The unbearable grief of a woman who has lost an infant (I emailed with a woman last night who lost TWO of her triplets, the third has autism - blame mitochondrial disorder. I can not get her out of my mind. I am not a cyberhug, touchy feely kind of gal - but I would love to hug this woman and tell her how very sorry I am for her loss.)

The panic of a the woman who sees the destruction of war around her and wonders if her children will survive. The disbelief and determination of the woman who sees the waters take over her village and must search for food and clean water for her children.

Mother's Day. It's not all roses and candy and paper mache flowers made in preschool. I found the painting at the top of this post on line by an artist named Sheldon Feuerstein. I might even buy it. It reminded me of how I might look as a mother in 20 years. Gray haired, kissing my adult daughters. Still caring for them the way I did on the day they were born, perhaps. I don't know. I plan to recover them as far as I can. God may have other plans. And I'll just have to abide by them.

I kiss my girls today with as much love as I did on the day they were born. And I'll do so for the rest of my life.

Happy Mother's Day.

May Event from the Autism Society of Connecticut (pssst, anyone see my little joke? Look closely.)

Spring is here at ASCONN and we have more events and activities for you and your family as the weather gets nicer.

Join the Hartford Region on Thursday, May 27 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Jewish Family Services, 333 Bloomfield Ave, West Hartford for "Embracing Autism: Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's not!" with Kim Stagliano and Cammie McGovern - parents, authors and autism advocates.(rescheduled from Tues. April 29)

Kim Stagliano is a writer, Huffington Post blogger and Managing Editor of AgeofAutism.com and mother of three daughters with autism. She lives in Fairfield County with her husband and the girls. Kim will read from her chapter, "Three Special Kids. No Apologies Necessary" from the new book, "Embracing Autism. Connecting and Communicating with Children in the Autism Spectrum" and then open the discussion to the audience.

Cammie McGovern is a novelist, ASD activist, and mother of three. Her oldest child, Ethan, carries a diagnosis in the autism spectrum. His 'difficulties' have inspired a novel and the founding of a resource center called Whole Children, which runs after-school classes and programs for children with special needs. Cammie will read from her excerpt "The Freedom to be Odd," from same book.

Book signing!

Call Beth Katten at 860-236-8374 or e-mail for more information and to register. For more information visit http://www.asconn.org/.

Friday! Howard Stern's Classic: COOKIEPUSS!

Some bloggers (ahem, Mizz O'Neil) have been spreading rumors that I am a sweet, generous, virtuous, angelic, patient Mother of the year type. Fu@k that s#it! (Aaahh, that felt good!) OK, I'm not Joan Crawford, but I'm not June Cleaver either. And one of my "vices" is that I have been a Howard Stern fan for over 15 years. Love him. I listen to him on Sirius Satellite radio for most of the day. I wear a Stiletto - the Sirius mp3 player, not the pointy shoe.

On Fridays they play a replay of old shows dating back as far as 1988 as far as I've heard since the replays started. The host? Sir Harden Thicke. Get it? So Beavis and Butthead! So, Howard Stern, I know. See, I'm not all speech therapy and mosquito nets.

Tomorrow they are airing the bit that was voted #1 of every bit they've ever done. COOKIEPUSS. It's when Fred buys his Mom a Carvel cake. If you live in the NE you know Carvel - Tom Carvel used to do his own ads with a voice that sounded like a gravel pit. For Father's Day you bought a Fudgie the Whale cake. End of story. Flying Saucers? The best cookie sandwich with ice cream ever. Carvel is an institution. When I lived in Ohio (insert tiny shudder here) a Carvel opened up. One of the first in the state. I banged on the door - the place was closed. "LET ME IN!!!" I was SO excited to see my old ice creamy favorites.

Tomorrow you'll find me lying on my kitchen floor with tears streaming down my face as I listen to Cookie Puss. Maybe I'll even get one for Mother's Day? Hint hint hint.

I Met Dallas Girl!

How fun is it to meet a Blog Buddy!? This is Dallas Girl. She worked with my husband at that company that no longer employs them. (Ahem.)

She has shiny, straight blonde hair. And is a decade younger than I am. Slept in until late morning yesterday (she has two tots back home.) And is from Texas. And yet I like her. Go figure!

She was in NYC with her delightful hubby (shout out to TV Joe from WFAA Dallas) and kindly invited Mark and me to dinner together HERE in Chelsea. Dinner was so fine I even ordered dessert. Also fine.

Dallas Girl blogs HERE. Thanks, Amy and Joe!

THE FUTURE OF BRAIN TREATMENT?

You have got to read THIS post over at John Robison's blog about brain plasticity and some science-fictionesque research he's been participating in at Harvard. Crazy, insane, you'll never believe it kind of stuff that could change the world for millions. Millions.

It's like something from Ray Bradbury. But it's here. Holy Martian Chronicles....