My 2 Cents on Eli Stone taking on Autism and drug companies (Please see 1/28/08 update below from the American Academy of Pediatrics)

Who is Eli Stone? My 2 cents worth on that in a bit.

My 2 cents worth... of sharing about Sam since starting kindergarten has been deliquent, therefore I am closing this account. Just kidding! I will say I am sorry that I haven't updated for a long time, but I will share why as I move to a new blog beginning with my next post. The next post of this blog will have the link to my new one. Thanks to all of you for encouraging me to get back on the saddle, and I hope to do that from here on out. S.M.S., I will dedicate my first post of my new blog to you (thanks for pledging and kicking me in the butt, and a check is in the mail for Ethan and the American Heart Association).

Before I move...to my new blog...I want to have this post be to our family and friends to understand our position on Sam and what we believe to be his origins of Autism. I say this prior to a prime time series that is coming out next week on ABC....

Eli Stone...this is a new series about which the New York Times said Wednesday, "The drama, “Eli Stone,” scheduled to be broadcast at 10 p.m. on Jan. 31, centers on a lawyer who begins having visions that cause him to question his life’s work defending large corporations, including a pharmaceutical company that makes vaccines."

Eli goes on to defend a mother whose son has Autism, as they take on a large pharmaceutical company in the series premiere.

(Update 1/28/08) Copy of AAP Release:

For immediate release: January 28, 2008

CHICAGO - The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is demanding ABC cancel the opening episode of “Eli Stone” scheduled for Thursday, January 31. As reported in The New York Times, the episode features a lawyer who argues in court that a vaccine caused a child’s autism. While the show includes statements that science has refuted any link between autism and vaccines, the episode’s conclusion delivers a contrary impression; the jury awards the mother $5.2 million, leaving audiences with the destructive idea that vaccines do cause autism.

“A television show that perpetuates the myth that vaccines cause autism is the height of reckless irresponsibility on the part of ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Co.,” said Renee R. Jenkins, MD, FAAP, president of the AAP. “If parents watch this program and choose to deny their children immunizations, ABC will share in the responsibility for the suffering and deaths that occur as a result. The consequences of a decline in immunization rates could be devastating to the health of our nation’s children.”

No scientific link has been found between vaccines and autism. The AAP and other health organizations will continue to work to ensure the safety of childhood vaccines.

For accurate information on autism, immunization and other child health topics, visit the AAP’s Web site, http://www.aap.org.

Our position as a family and in regards to Sam, has been that we do not blame vaccines. In our case, Sam's vaccines did not contain large amounts of the mercury-based vaccine preservative called thimerosal. You can get the lot numbers for any vaccines your children receive from your pediatricians office. You then use the lot number to search VAERS Public Data, as well as the site CDC site. Another site of interest is Aspies for Freedom, to witness from the eyes of those with Autism, and how they feel about people thinking they need to be cured. A post from a couple years ago about "Vaccines and Autism" was created by the sites administrator, Amy.

If Eli Stone can find faith in George Micheal's big comeback, perhaps we can find faith and strength as a community to not blame but accept, and to not cure but to celebrate.


A Twist of Faith
My 2 cents worth...is that I hope one day that our Autism community will not be divided on the cause of Autism, but united in the acceptance of who our children are.While we refuse to discredit the families who feel victim and believe that vaccines are the cause, for Sam and us, all roads lead to genetics and the beautiful Sam that God knew before he was born.

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" (Jeremiah 1:4-5).