Mary

Place of Residence: Massapequa Park, New York

When Mary Beth was just 7 years old, she lost her grandmother, Mary, to cervical cancer. Back in the 1950s, routine Pap smears weren’t standard practice for women’s health and her grandmother’s cancer wasn’t discovered until an advanced stage. As a nurse practitioner, Mary Beth understands the value of routine immunizations and works to educate others about the power of prevention.

Mary Beth shares the story of her grandmother who passed away from cervical cancer in her mid-60s.

Mildred

Place of Residence: Massapequa Park, New York

Mary Beth vividly remembers how her childhood was affected by her mother, Mildred’s, experience with polio. Before the polio vaccine became available in 1955, Mary Beth and her sisters were not allowed to go swimming because her mother was terrified that polio would strike their family again. Mildred became a passionate vaccine advocate and Mary Beth continues that legacy through her work as a nurse practitioner.

Mary Beth shares the story of how her mother contracted polio at the age of 3 and how that drew her to a career in the health field.

Chelle

As a child, Chelle grew up struggling with stomach problems that went undiagnosed. When she was 18, she learned she had hepatitis B after trying to donate to a military blood drive. Watch her story below. 

Sura

In 1995, Sura and her brother were in medical school in Syria when he was punctured with a needle and infected with hepatitis B. Experiencing a severe infection called fulminant hepatitis, his liver began to fail, and he passed away only weeks later. Watch her story below.  

William

Excited by the impending birth of his first child, William decided to plan for his family’s financial future. He was shocked to learn through a required health insurance blood test that he has hepatitis B and spent sleepless nights wondering how he contracted the virus and whether it was a death sentence. Watch his story below.  

Joe

After being diagnosed with hepatitis B, Joe didn’t seek regular monitoring because his doctor didn’t provide information about what his diagnosis meant. Years later, he learned that his liver was inflamed and that he was also infected with hepatitis Delta, a serious coinfection of hepatitis B. Watch his story below.  

Alan

Many of Alan’s immediate family members passed away due to liver cancer, but it wasn’t until Alan himself became ill that the family realized the role hepatitis B played in these deaths. Watch his story below.

Alice

Alice comes from a Chinese family where talking about illness is taboo. It was only when she became pregnant with her first child that she discovered she had hepatitis B. Watch her story below.

Jan

Place of Residence: Dewitt, NY

As a child, Jan saw firsthand the devastation of polio. At just six years old, she survived a polio epidemic during which 8 children in a classroom of 24 were diagnosed with paralytic polio. Three children died, including her twin brother. Jan was one of only two paralyzed children who made a full recovery. In April 1954, she was one of 1.8 million school children who participated in the Salk vaccine trial as a “Polio Pioneer.”

Jan shares how she lost her twin brother, Frankie, to polio at 6 years old and has gone on to become an international champion for vaccines.  

Josh

Place of Residence: Richmond, Texas

Josh loves sports, spending time with his family, and all things Disney World. He never imagined that COVID would impact his life and because he thought his risk was low, he didn’t get vaccinated. Yet in January 2021, the 43-year-old ended up hospitalized in need of a double lung transplant. After being hospitalized for four months, Josh thankfully survived to tell his story and he now wants others to know the importance of vaccination.

Josh shares the story of how he was hospitalized with COVID and ended up having a double lung transplant to save his life.