Kerri’s 1 year-old son Rory got the chickenpox this past year. While his well-baby visit (including his first dose of vaccine) were already scheduled, the chickenpox arrived first.* Rory had over 400 lesions all over his body putting him in terrible pain and at risk for other infections.
Watching her child needlessly suffer from chickenpox, Kerri felt powerless. While she will never know how Rory contracted the chickenpox, she does know that a stronger “community immunity” would have offered him better protection from the disease. Kerri is now trying to help other families avoid what her family had to go through.
Watch Kerri tell her story of how her son’s chickenpox led her to become a vocal vaccine advocate, and why she hopes other parents will join her in speaking up for vaccines and asking state legislators to strengthen school vaccine requirements. Kerri’s story was also published as an op-ed in the March 1st edition of the Hartford Courant. You can read it here.
*For the best protection against chickenpox, the CDC recommends that children receive two doses of chickenpox (varicella) vaccine. The first dose should be given to children between 12-15 months old, and the second dose should be given between 4-6 years old. Kerri’s pediatrician recommended that Rory get his first dose at 15 months of age.
View the recommended immunization schedule and visit the Vaccinate Your Family website to learn more about chickenpox and the vaccine that helps prevent it.