Suzanne Wright Promised Autism Speaks will Study Mercury and Autism

By Kim Stagliano

This has been a difficult post for me to write. I have a two and a half minute video clip of Suzanne Wright making a serious promise at the end of this post.

I have no intention of embarrassing or disparaging Suzanne Wright, founder of Autism Speaks.  But she promised me, and hundreds of others, that Autism Speaks is going to study vaccines, mercury, Thimerosal and autism over a year ago. 

You'll need the latest version of Quicktime to run the clip. Download it free from www.apple.com/quicktime/player

I believe her grief and her passion to help her grandson Christian and my girls and the thousands of kids with an autism diagnosis are genuine. 

I also believe that she has been unable to live up to her promise to those of us sitting at the Children Making Strides/Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation event on May 1, 2006, in Waltham, Massachusetts.   She and David Kirby, the author of Evidence of Harm, the book that exposed the mercury and autism connection in 2005, were the keynote speakers.  And both were well received. Here's the Autism Speaks web page on the event.

I'd like to know who, if anyone, is stopping Suzanne Wright from making good on her word. Is it Alison Singer? Is it Dr. Eric London? Is it pressure from pharmaceutical lobbyists? Is it the pharmaceutical companies themselves who spent a fortune advertising on Bob Wright's NBC? (I realize he is no longer in that position.) Is it the US government who mandated the vaccines in the first place?

I suppose that I sound like I'm writing an X-Files episode. Well, it feels that way sometimes. "The truth is out there." was the show's motto after all.

Did Mrs. Wright suddenly change her mind? I don't think so. She is media savvy - she could have easily hemmed and hawed and said just enough to keep me from foaming at the mouth without making the firm promises you'll hear on this clip. I think she spoke from her heart and gut. You be the judge.

You should be able to watch the clip HERE. 

If you can not open the file, you'll need to download a free copy of the latest QuickTime software. www.apple.com/quicktime/player 

The clip address is http://www.autismmedia.org/media/swright.mov

There are two questions on the clip, which is only a couple of minutes long. I ask the second question, you'll hear Mrs. Wright say "My new friend, Kim." (although that ship might have sailed after this post.)

As I said, I mean her no ill will. But if you're going to wear the crown, you have to expect the serfs to pick up a pitch fork every so often when their hunger (in my case, for answers) becomes overwhelming.

I'd like to thank these folks at Autism Media for providing the technical work for me.

Kim Stagliano edits Rescue Post. She lives in CT with her husband and their three beautiful daughters who have autism. She blogs, writes fiction and writes for Huffington Post.

Comments

[amom]

Suzanne Wright said recently in interview in a Maine newspaper that her grandson is gone. I wonder if Christian has regressed again into nonverbal autism? Why would she say he was gone now if he's been doing well on biomedical? Or is she just saying that he's gone for effect?

[Twyla Ramos]

I am totally in awe of Bob Krakow's work, and I agree that individuals and other organizations besides Autism Speaks must work towards advancing research and treatment agendas. Of course we can't totally rely on Autism Speaks like toddlers on a parent. But, we must also try to influence Autism Speaks' agenda. This organization raises an incredible amount of money and wields power and publicity and influence that should be used to look into all potential causes of autism.

Investigation of environmental issues, toxicology, vaccines, immunology, gastroenterology, and biochemistry should be a part of every mainstream organization's agenda. Research should focus on individuals as well as epidemiology.

Smaller organizations can come up with resources to do studies and can advocate for government agencies to fund research on these issues, but it is also important to continue trying to inform the larger groups such as Autism Speaks. Thank you, Kim Stagliano, for your article.

I cannot understand the stubborn resistance to biomedical research and treatment in some circles. If Katie Wright's son continues to improve, surely her parents will take note and exert some influence on their organization's priorities.

[Allison]

Kim,
I was at this conference with you and saw Suzanne speak. She was adamant that thimerosal would be addressed and they would do the testing and fund the necessary studies to find the answers. I think she meant it at that time. That conference was so full of information on Mercury and it's effects. We listened to David Kirby, Mark Blaxill, Richard Deth, etc. Everyone in that room was given an abundance of information on Mercury toxicity. The evidence was on slide after slide. For Suzanne to do anything other than say she was "ON IT" would have looked entirely useless. There was an air in there for answers and where things needed to go in terms of thimerosal. But on a regular basis she is not privy to continually hearing the evidence. AS has surrounded itself with Dr.s who do nothing but try and convince others that there is no connection. That's where the problems lies. In the medical personelle they chose to make the decisions of where the money goes. I believe her intentions were real but AS is not Suzanne it is a board of directors none of whom were in that room. None whom have chosen to inform themselves. Those who were convinced years ago that thimerosal was not to be investigated. It's the board that needs changing, it's the highly paid personelle that has to have the passion to find the real answers. I unfortunately don't see passion in this board for anything other than changing the subject to anything other than thimerosal.

Great job finding this footage!!! Hopefully it will be a reminder to Suzanne of her promises.

[Heraldblog]

I'm sure things will get better once the special masters make their ruling in the omnibus hearings. Your expert witnesses were very impressive.

[Robert J. Krakow]

Dear Kim,

Thank you for your thoughtful and well-written comments. We have come to expect no less from your written work. I must respond, however, by posing a question that I have been asking for more than two years, ever since Autism Speaks came into existence with its characteristic attention-grabbing flourish.

Why do we keep looking over the fence at the luxurious trappings of Autism Speaks?

Autism Speaks has had plenty of time to promote an effective agenda for environmental and vaccine research. In the meantime, those of us who have done the grunt work to promote an honest look at vaccines and environmental factors, have found it increasingly difficult to work in a milieu where all attention, not to mention scarce resources, are lavished on Autism Speaks.

I have met and spoken with Suzanne Wright and others at Autism Speaks. Ms. Wright is an impressive person who, no doubt, believes she is acting in the best interests of individuals with autism. So, too with the others at Atusim Speaks But, contrary to your metaphor, she is not Queen, Autism Speaks is not royalty, and we are not Serfs.

At the keynote address at Autism One in 2006 I urged parents to advocate for their own kids, to build grassroots efforts, to take the issue of the day into their own hands. The issue is one of empowerment.

I have lamented for these past two years the disempowerment of parents that is the effect, however unintended, of the moneyed and heavy-handed corporate style campaign of Autism Speaks. By sucking up all the resources, and capturing most of the political attention, much of the excellent and hard work of thousands of ordinary parents has been diminished.

I strongly urge that we not look to Autism Speaks or any other newly constructed edifice, whether adorned by crowns or a global "awareness" campaign, and organize ourselves to advance the research and treatment agenda we want and need for our kids.

If we continue to indulge ourselves in the luxury of looking “over the fence" for action on matters we hold dear, we will be rendered as frozen as the proverbial "Pillar of Salt", like the Biblical Lot's wife, for lack of doing the hard work of taking matters into our own hands and hoping some entity with more power will do if for us. See, Genesis 19:28 KJV.

Our hope that others will fulfill our dreams is an illusion. We must look forward and organize ourselves to get the job done with whatever resources we can manage – others won't do it for us. We have wasted enough time hoping the “lords of the land” will do what we should be doing for ourselves – and complaining about their inaction. Let’s get the job done ourselves for our precious children.

Bob Krakow, Parent

[John Gilmore]

I think we got a good look into the character of the Wrights when they published their disavowal of their own daughter. They were under no obligation to do anything of the sort, but they chose to do so.

As for who is calling the shots at Autism Speaks, like eveything else, follow the money. Autism Speaks biggest donor is Bernie Marcus, founder of Home Deport and leader of the movement called "tort reform" that aims to prevent corporations from being held liable for any injuries, deaths or damages that they may cause in the pursuit of profit-making activities. Apparently, a lot of people have gotten injured in Home Depots over the years and sued, and Marcus hates that. Home Depot, has repeatedly sued individuals and business, however, in multi-billion dollar cases when it has been to Marcus's advantage to do so. Marcus has bankrolled Autism Speaks to the tune of $25 million so far and he is also the biggest donor to the Kennedy Kreiger Institute.