My Name Is Tanner
Read the full article about our friend and Father Warrior "Tanner's Dad" Tim Welsh and his family HERE. I tear up every time I read about Tanner's final words before he slipped into autism. "My name is Tanner."
CATLIN – When their only son, Tanner, got the last of his pre-kindergarten vaccines at age 4 1/2, Tim and Cheri Welsh held their breath.
The Catlin couple had delayed those immunizations a bit, worried about the rare, potential reactions they'd heard some children have. But they also knew vaccines protect kids from nasty diseases like measles and mumps, so they eventually decided to proceed.
Two days after he got two shots containing five vaccines, Tanner went running up to his dad and spoke his last sentence: "My name is Tanner, my name is Tanner."
friendship is not make or buy it is the god gifted so the story article that you writ down is really touch the heart of the human being and this article is full of emotions so every person share their ideas about your article but i have no word to say because its the end....
Posted by: tubal reversal | September 30, 2009 at 07:19 AM
I thought it was terrific Tim! Sorry it's taken me so long to post. Just like Kim, I'm sure - chillin' a bottle of bubbly for when the kids go back to school :D LOL
Michael, they all will say "just following orders". There are a few, there are the "proud", there are autism moms (spouses); (military and civilian) delivering where government and DoD have failed.
I thought it was pretty well balanced. Thank you for putting your family out there Tim. It's a tough decision to make. I have never regretted doing so for an instant, and I pray you don't either. It was truly a pleasure meeting you at Autism One. And I soooooooooo (can I put enough oooo's there?) appreciate your support and work to get our community rallied for me meeting with our First Lady.
"My name is Tanner"... I cry. My Nathan, "You're stupid Momma"... that's what I heard. I jumped on the ship quite quickly. I knew what caused his autism. It makes me cry, and I feel so terrible and fortunate at the same time. My kids were not vaccinated according to the schedule. I thank God every day.
Love and Hugs to you and your entire family. BTW - no matter how crazy it gets on either end - it's always a pleasure to talk to you. It's life. Oh and hey, next time we talk, can I talk to Tanner?
Ang
Posted by: Angela Warner | August 09, 2009 at 03:30 AM
Teresa, Thanks for providing the names of the high priests of vaccination damage. When the Nuremberg Trials of vaccination crimes and human experimentation are finally held, this list of defendants will certainly try to claim, "just following orders."
Posted by: michael framson | August 05, 2009 at 11:55 AM
After re-reading my long-winded post,just wanted to cut to the chase:
Martin G. Myers, MD
Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, Associate Director for Public Health Policy and Education, Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch (Executive Director)
....apparently has a conflict of interest in being an objective public information spokesperson on vaccines as he appears to be an integral person in vaccine development.
Posted by: Teresa Conrick- Dr. Meyers & the U of Texas Medical Branch | August 05, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Tereasa! GOOD JOB. Our memories of these people names should be, needs to be and will be very long!
Posted by: Benedetta Stilwell | August 05, 2009 at 09:20 AM
Tanner's Dad. Thank you for sharing your story. The sad thing is that all stories are the same. There has to be a change in how the medical community treat children with Autism. I predict that there will eventually be a revolution on the medical establishment. That is the only way things will change.
Posted by: Elucidatus | August 04, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Hi Tim and Cheri,
Thanks so much for your sad but necessary story in the local paper. You are our Central Illinois warrior parents!
In the article, it was disturbing to read such false information regarding the safety of vaccines so I had to check out who was saying what.
These paragraphs for example:
"Vaccine experts don't agree. The National Network for Immunization Information says giving the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines individually increases a child's risk of getting one of the diseases by delaying the immunization. And, the organization says, there's no increased safety in getting them individually.
Dr. Martin Myers, executive director of the NNII, said the connection between autism and vaccines is often based on coincidence, because many children are diagnosed with autism about the same time they receive their immunizations.
"There is absolutely no evidence linking vaccines with autism," he said.
Nor is there any evidence that thimerosal causes autism, he said.
"There's no mercury given to children under 6 months of age, and there hasn't been for several years, and there's no evidence to suggest that mercury in any form has been linked with autism," he added."
Getting a thimerosal flu shot when pregnant IS "children under 6 months of age". Dr. Martin Myers, executive director of the NNII does not appear to be trustworthy with his information and what is NNII?
Let's take a look:
http://www.immunizationinfo.org/
Our Mission
The National Network for Immunization Information (NNii) is an affiliation of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the University of Texas Medical Branch, the Society for Adolescent medicine and the American Medical Association.
NNii is a service provided by Immunizations for Public Health (I4PH), a Texas-based nonprofit corporation dedicated to making immunization information available to those who need it.
The Board of I4PH is composed of global health leaders, recognized for their knowledge relating to vaccines and global immunization issues. It has been organized to advance education and science relating to vaccines and immunizations.
Immunizations for Public Health:
* provides science-based information to diverse audiences, including those who deliver vaccines, those who develop immunization policy, and those who receive vaccines.
* establishes effective affiliations to improve the global health through the appropriate use of vaccines and immunizations.
* fosters and supports the scientific assessment of the development, production, distribution, administration and use of vaccines.
Our Information
All Information provided by NNii on immunizationinfo.org is reviewed to ensure that it is scientifically accurate and up-to-date. Several immunization experts serve as an editorial board for NNii to provide an additional level of review for site content. These experts include physicians, NNii Steering Committee members, staff of professional affiliate organizations, leading researchers, and other independent experts.
About NNii
Editorial Board
All the information on NNii's Web site is reviewed to ensure that it is scientifically accurate and up-to-date. Several immunization experts serve as an editorial board for NNii.
*
Martin G. Myers, MD, Editor
Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch
*
Walter A. Orenstein, MD
Associate Director, Emory Vaccine Center
Director, Emory Program for Vaccine Policy and Development
*
Carol J. Baker, MD
Professor of Pediatrics, Molecular Virology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children's Hospital Foundation Chair in Pediatric Infectious Diseases
*
John D. Shanley, MD
Professor of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center
Director, Division of Infectious Diseases UCHC
*
Richard D. Clover, MD
Dean, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville
*
José Ignacio Santos, MD
Director General, Hospital Infantil de México, Mexico City
Professor of Pediatrics, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
*
Patsy Stinchfield, RN, MS, CNP
Director, Infectious Disease/Infection Control, The Children's Immunization Project, Children's Hospitals and Clinics, Minnesota
*
Diego Pineda, MS
Science Writer, Immunizations for Public Health
About NNii
NNii Steering Committee
The plans and activities of the National Network for Immunization Information are conducted under the direction of a national steering committee. Members of the NNii Steering Committee are:
*
Samuel L. Katz, MD
Professor and Chairman Emeritus of Pediatrics, Duke University (Co-Chair)
*
Louis W. Sullivan, MD
President Emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine (Co-chair)
*
Louis Z. Cooper, MD
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Columbia University
*
Martin G. Myers, MD
Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, Associate Director for Public Health Policy and Education, Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, University of Texas Medical Branch (Executive Director)
*
Bruce B. Dan, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor and Clinical Associate Professor at the School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst
*
Stanley A. Gall, MD
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
*
Michael Severson, MD
American Academy of Pediatrics
*
Richard Clover, MD, FAAFP
American Academy of Family Physicians
*
Edgar K. Marcuse, MD, MPH
Professor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle
*
Dennis L. Murray, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
*
Georges Peter, MD
Professor of Pediatrics, Brown Medical School
*
Gregory A. Poland, MD
Director, Mayo Vaccine Research Group, Mayo Clinic and Foundation
*
William Schaffner, MD
Professor and Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
*
Thomas E. Stenvig, RN, MS, MPH, CNAA
Associate Professor, College of Nursing, South Dakota State University
*
Patricia Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practicioners
*
Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
*
Jessica Kahn, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Research Training in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
*
Litjen (L.J) Tan, MS, PhD
Director, Infectious Disease, Immunology, and Molecular Medicine, American Medical Association
and this statement:
"NNii is a service provided by Immunizations for Public Health (I4PH), a Texas-based nonprofit corporation dedicated to making immunization information available to those who need it.
The Board of I4PH is composed of global health leaders, recognized for their knowledge relating to vaccines and global immunization issues. It has been organized to advance education and science relating to vaccines and immunizations."
So what is Immunizations for Public Health, I4PH?
Hmm..when you go there, the "who we are" take you back to NNII,,but the site is devoted to selling this book-
I4PH Press
Do Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns
Do Vaccines Cause That?!Do Vaccines Cause Autism, Asthma, Diabetes?
Get straight, science-based answers to this and other vaccine safety questions.
Do Vaccines Cause That?! is a must-read book for parents, health professionals, journalists and educators concerned about the safety of vaccines.
Are Vaccines Safe? Evaluating Information About Immunizations on the Internet
Are Vaccines Safe? This 16-page booklet provides tips on how to find reliable information on the Internet about vaccines and how to evaluate the accuracy and validity of this type of information.
Health professionals may use this booklet as a patient hand-out and parents may use it as a tool to evaluate health information they may find on the Internet.
This book is written by Dr. Martin Myers and NNII does say :
Funding
Support
"NNii is dedicated to providing the latest scientific information on immunizations to the public, healthcare providers, policy makers, and the media. Neither NNii nor its sponsoring corporation, I4PH, accept any financial support from the pharmaceutical industry or the federal government.
NNii receives contributions from some of its affiliate organizations, plus gifts from the public.
Other income comes from the sale of publications authored by NNii staff. Proceeds from all publications go directly to Immunizations for Public Health for the benefit of NNii; the authors receive no income from their publications."
So who are the Affiliate organizations?
Affiliates
NNii is committed to developing affiliations with organizations that share our mission. Currently, NNii has established formal affiliations with the organizations listed below. Learn more about each affiliate and their efforts with NNii by linking to their Web sites (links will open in a new window).
The Infectious Diseases Society of America
IDSA is an organization of more than 7,500 physicians and scientists whose mission is to promote and recognize excellence in patient care, education, research, public health, and prevention in the field of infectious diseases.
The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
PIDS enhances the health of infants, children and adolescents by promoting excellence in diagnosis, management and prevention of infectious diseases through clinical care, education, research and advocacy.
The American Academy of Pediatrics
AAP is an organization of 57,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
The Sealy Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Texas Medical Branch
Established in 1891, UTMB is a modern health science center with more than 70 major buildings, more than 2,800 students and more than 1,600 faculty. SCVD fosters the highest quality collaborative and programmatic research and facilitates the translation of laboratory findings to prevention of infectious diseases in the community.
American Academy of Family Physicians
AAFP aims to improve the health of patients, their families and the American people, to advance and represent the specialty of family practice, and to serve the unique needs of members with professionalism and creativity.
NAPNAP
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
With approximately 7,000 members, NAPNAP is the professional association for PNPs and other advanced practice nurses who care for children. Established in 1973, NAPNAP has been actively advocating for the children's health by: providing funding, education, and research opportunities to PNPs; influencing legislation that affects maternal/child health care; and producing and distributing educational materials to parents and families.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
ACOG is the nation's leading group of professionals providing health care for women. The ACOG is a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization with a current membership of 40,000 physicians.
The American Nurses Association
ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's entire registered nurse population. Dedicated to ensuring that an adequate supply of highly-skilled and well-trained nurses is available, the ANA is committed to meeting the needs of nurses as well as health care consumers.
The Society for Adolescent Medicine
The Society for Adolescent Medicine (SAM) is a multi-disciplinary organization of health professionals who are committed to advancing the health and well-being of adolescents. SAM was founded in 1968 and has members from 30 countries worldwide.
The American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) is the nation's largest physician's group. AMA helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians nationwide to work on the most important professional and public health issues.
SO, Dr. Martin Myers who claims that children do NOT get thimerosal before 6 months of age is incorrect but apparently has written a book to try and disseminate false information, that gets no money from the pharmaceutical industry BUT does get money from "the affilates".
If you can Tim, it may be helpful to ask Debra Pressey and shed some light as to how Dr. Martin Myers, executive director of the NNII, was chosen to be a "vaccine expert" in your families story.
Note that The Sealy Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Texas is an affilliate and the address to NNII is
http://www.immunizationinfo.org/about/sitefeedback.cfv
301 University Blvd.
Galveston, TX 77555-0350
and the contact information at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is:
http://www.utmb.edu/contact/
301 University Boulevard
Galveston, TX 77555
Oh, and this too:
Martin G. Myers, MD, Editor
Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch
Posted by: Teresa Conrick- Dr. Meyers & the U of Texas Medical Branch | August 04, 2009 at 09:39 PM
Kathy, my grandboys have not been vaccinated, and the differences are remarkable, against children who are vaccinated, even on modified schedules. Many of the modern day kids I see, who don't have obvious neurological issues, have dark circles, sensory issues. Dr Mouldin says, this is because vaccines cause imparied blood flow in the brain, causing in his words, BURNS on the brain. I am sure, that it's not just the brain. Every organ can be damaged, every immune system memory, every vital process your body needs to be healthy.
I for one, am not convinced, that taking one or two ingredients out of vaccines will cause a slow down in autism or these injuires, as the whole premise of unnatural immunity causes new diseases.
Posted by: Kathy Blanco | August 04, 2009 at 10:34 AM
After reading EOH, I stopped vaccinating my younger son ... now, he got plenty as we all know by age 2... he has some big sensory issues, you know, can't wear underwear, anything with tags but at least he doesn't have autism like his older brother ... which one of the vacccines I skipped would have tipped him over the edge? I swear if that school nurse looks at me this year like I'm a negligent vaccine nazi mom because I will never let my kids get the latest two swine flu shots, I'll smack her upside the head (not really, but you know what I mean!) I already get the looks and I have to remind them all, my autistic son is fully loaded (I mean vaccinated) and my younger son just needs titers to see if he's got immunity. I get very protective of this because I think my sons and all of your kids have sacraficed so much for herd immunity and their country.
Kids falling into autism at 4 and 5 for no reason is right up there with Nancy Snyderman's comment when questioned about teenage girls fainting after the guardasil and her response "It's not uncommong for teenage girls to faint" Don't know about you, but I've never seen teenage girls just dropping around the malls for no reason ...
To know kids are still being injured when we know what we do ... he's freaking nuts.
Posted by: Kathy | August 04, 2009 at 06:18 AM
Tim, thank you for sharing your family's story. We were in a similar spot, and reading your story changed our minds (and lives) and we decided to wait on further vaccines until we could study the issue more. Then we found AoA, and the rest is history.
Our son regressed after a flu shot at 4 and a half. I didn't even connect it at the time, I was THAT unaware. When I eventually got his medical records I was stunned to see how sick he would get, or a new allergy would develop within days after each round of shots. Vaccines as anything other than safe? Wasn't even on my radar.
It wasn't until he had to get more shots for school that an integrative MD I knew told me to look into it more. I thought I'd do some searching around on the internet but was thinking "what's the difference now, he's had most of them? They are 'just' boosters, right?"
One of the first things I came across was your post on Causecast. The heavens were watching over us that day. Your story hit me like a ton of bricks - chills and tears.
I knew in my gut I had more reading to do.
So we put off more shots and went into intense research mode.
Although our son regressed after that flu shot so fast and hard that within a month a CRNP and LCSW told me to get him assessed for autism, he did not become completely non-verbal. He only had the ability to communicate two main things.
One was "Help ME!!!" as he screamed and raged and banged his head against the wall. He never could tell me what was wrong, or how to help him though, and I knew I was failing him completely.
Where he previously had asked politely, in full sentences for what he wanted, he would now scream "HUNGRY!". To look at him, we knew why - he had become horribly emaciated and wasn't digesting his food anymore. He was losing weight at a rapid pace, and vomiting all the time. Yet, no one seemed to think it was a problem, except us.
We were incredibly fortunate that our son was a quick responder to biomedical treatment. The fog began to lift and he started gaining weight within a few months. He has continued to make remarkable and astonishing progess.
I truly believe that you sharing your story is a huge part of our son being well on the way to recovery. Your story made me stop and wait, and take the time to look some more into EVERYTHING.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. With how gravely physically ill our son was after that flu shot, I shudder to imagine what a full set of "just boosters" in one day would have done to him.
I pray for many blessings for you and your family. We are eternally grateful for your openness and passion. You sharing Tanner's story is making an enormous impact on families.
Posted by: Lisa | August 03, 2009 at 10:58 PM
Dr Myers says children under 6 months old don't get any mercury.....what about the Hep B the day they are born?
Posted by: Kristin | August 03, 2009 at 10:21 PM
My heart has ached all day with Tanner's last words. To the point that I've tried to comment twice before and erased what I wrote, just couldn't find the words. I think my son was crashing before his first words came in, but he had a name for each of us, 'mama, dada and nene for his sister Neely' all gone by his first mmr at 12 months and then no more language until well after his 2nd birthday and ridiculous amounts of speech therapy. I think why your story breaks my heart so deeply is that I am struggling so much with my own experience of holding my son, post 15 month shots (a boatload) several nights in a row while we thought he was having night terrors; jerking out of my arms, gut wrenching cries, not knowing who we were, absolutely unsoothable, he was the world's best nurser and he didn't know what to do at my breast. I die when I think about this but having explained this to several DAN's and like minded practitioners they tell me that was an encephalitic reaction. To think, his regression was happening in my arms and I belittled it as night terrors, it literally kills me. What is so grave about these stories is that they are happening as we speak because the vaccine course is not changing, or not changing fast enough. Tragedy is one thing, but to have it have no usefulness in preventing further tragedy, it makes me nuts. I sat behind Tanner's dad at Autism One in a panel on the Somali Autism crisis. Perhaps that is why my heart has been so heavy today.
Posted by: alison macneil | August 03, 2009 at 09:35 PM
But, it doesn't take 25 plus years to get to Rome, any which way you decide to travel,even walking or riding on a Donkey to get to Rome.
Posted by: Benedetta Stilwell | August 03, 2009 at 09:04 PM
Donna, what an interesting observation/comment. Thanks so much for coming into AoA.
Kim
Posted by: Stagmom | August 03, 2009 at 07:53 PM
Hi Tim,
As an autism consultant I've seen 100s of families over the years. Perhaps 5% of those I have seen felt their child began regressing after multiple vaccinations on a single day. Of this 5% most felt the regression was weeks-months following these vaccinations and only a smattering of this 5% felt it was within 48 hrs. Of those who felt it was within weeks or months, some of these turned out to ALSO have moved their child onto high salicylate honey, grape juice, berry juices at that time, or onto wheat and cow's milk products. We certainly need to differentiate the very different 'autisms'. In my case I had measles virus at age 3 and due to immune deficiencies, still had this virus at 36, so I had spread the disease to others for 33 years, including the destruction it caused in my own body. We must remember such things too. If there is a group predisposed to something like immune crash or severe allergic reaction to vaccination, we need to find genes for THAT without presuming it is 'the autism gene'. More than one road can lead to Rome.
Posted by: Donna Williams | August 03, 2009 at 07:15 PM
My son just started walking a week before his stroke from his third DPT shot. For the next three months he struggled the hardest to walk again. For some reason he would place his feet really wide apart, maybe he was having trouble with his balance that caused him so much problem. He would take several steps like a very heavy Sumo wrestler before he toppled over again. But he kept at it and he walked again when he was 1 year old. Talking well that came much slower. But it did come, so keep the faith!
Posted by: Benedetta Stilwell | August 03, 2009 at 07:10 PM
Very moving article. When our son regressed we did not have sentences, but we had Mama, Dada, bye,bye, and sounds for his brother and sisters names. We had animal sound identification and peek a boo putting his hands to his eyes. We had attention and laughter. We had varied diet and curiosity. we had normal on time developement. And then...we didn't. All gone.
Posted by: K Fuller Yuba City | August 03, 2009 at 05:13 PM
This has given me a thought. So many of us have commented on the "last words" of Tanner.
Many of us have children that have regressive autism. Some, like mine, were able to speak and then lost that ability.
I was telling a friend of mine, linking her to the above newspaper article and she told me her son's last words were, "I can't" she was trying to get him to stand up at the time.
Just curious how many of you reading this remember the last words. I think it could make for an interesting story, email me if you want to participate. bensmyson (at) gmail (dot)com
Posted by: bensmyson | August 03, 2009 at 01:56 PM
Kudos to Tanner's family for getting the word out. It must feel a little defiling to have one's story juxtaposed against the usual tobacco science vaccine defenses, but the strongest part of the story is the first hand experience of the Welshes.
Posted by: Gatogorra | August 03, 2009 at 01:34 PM
It is simply incredible that doctors see a child ready to enter kindergarten as a normally progressing little boy who suddenly regresses into autism following vaccinations
and THEY STILL SAY THERE'S NO CONNECTION.
Believe me the parents of small children reading this will take notice. The fear about autism is very real and stories like this simply destroy the credibility of the medical community that so willingly turns its back on these kids.
Anne Dachel
Media
Posted by: Anne Dachel | August 03, 2009 at 01:30 PM
I, too, am tearing up and I hope that Tim continues to repeat his son's haunting mantra, "My name is Tanner," lest anyone forget....
Posted by: nhokkanen | August 03, 2009 at 12:16 PM
way to get your story out there! we should all work to get our stories in our local papers and on our local news stations. you MUST tell your story. local reporters are more receptive than you think...
Posted by: kim | August 03, 2009 at 11:38 AM
I got the chills reading this. Tanner's last words clearly reflect the fear he felt as his ability to communicate was being yanked from him.
One of my son's favorite phrases was "ready..set..go." After he got his MMR, he basically stopped speaking, so to try to reassure myself, I'd encourage him to say that phrase. I was soon forced to say the "ready, set" part for him and he could barely muster, "go." Within a week, "go" simply became "guh". And then there was nothing. He didn't speak a single word for almost two years.
Tim and Cheri, thanks for sharing your story and may you continue to find the strength to keep up your advocacy efforts.
Posted by: Jack's Dad | August 03, 2009 at 10:34 AM
"Dr. Martin Myers, executive director of the NNII, said the connection between autism and vaccines is often based on coincidence, because many children are diagnosed with autism about the same time they receive their immunizations."
Time warp:
JR Reynolds tobacco spokesman says the "connection between cigarettes and cancer is often based on the coincidence that many people who smoke develop lung cancer"....but..."There is absolutely no evidence linking cancer with cigarettes".
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | August 03, 2009 at 08:43 AM
From my wife's journal written one day after my son's first birthday, the night he got his shots:
Daddy left for a job and to help grandmammy and papa move into their house. You had just gotten your shots and we were on the floor in your bedroom and you were crying, wouldn’t stop, you’d been that way most of the time near the end of our day. just picked you up and held you sitting on the floor and I asked you what’s wrong, still breathing hard, sucking your thumb, tears down your face. I said, “what’s wrong, use your words, tell me what” You took your thumb out and pulled backwards looking at me you said, “me mesee daddy” put your thumb back in your mouth and placed your head down on my chest. You wanted to see daddy. I showed you his picture in the hallway and called him. You seemed better after that so we went to dinner. You are fabulous.
“Me Mesee daddy”, the last sentence he would speak for nearly a year.
I'm with you Tim, thanks for working so hard for us.
Posted by: bensmyson | August 03, 2009 at 07:28 AM
I think they did a pretty good job. I tried to refute some of the vaccine information but was not allowed. She said the story was too long already. At least she put links to www.causecast.org where I link to www.ageofautism.com so people get find out the truth!
A strange thing happened on the way to the internet...
The title 3/4 of inch high in the print version said...
"AGENDA FOR REFORM Catlin family wants answers about vaccines, condition's causes and more state help"
The internet version's title...
"Catlin family seeks more answers on causes of autism"
A little less intense?
I am thankful for the kind words everybody has shared.
I would really appreciate people lending their name and a little energy to the campaign to have Angela Warner from Autism Salutes meet with Michelle Obama in October.
http://tinyurl.com/m9r8ws
Posted by: Tanners Dad | August 03, 2009 at 07:24 AM
This is a wonderful article, very well done.
Tim, thanks for all you do, especially your Tweets.
Much love to you and your family.
Posted by: Jeanne | August 03, 2009 at 06:03 AM