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Personal Stories

Unfortunately, too many individuals and families in the U.S.—and throughout the world—are still personally impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccinate Your Family is grateful to our many advocates who are willing to share their personal stories in hopes of saving the lives of others and empowering people to make informed choices about vaccination for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Read their powerful stories below.

If you or a loved one have personally been affected by a vaccine-preventable disease, or if you want to share how vaccines keep you and your family healthy, you can share your story here.

Flu

Oliver

Oliver was a healthy 4-year-old who was enjoying soccer and bowling when the flu quickly took his life.

Blake

Blake was a healthy, active 16-year-old who loved sports and sadly lost his life to flu in February 2020.

Ian

Ian died from complications of influenza A in 2003, just 30 hours after showing his first symptom.

JJ

JJ was a happy, funny, and energetic 2-year-old when he lost his life to flu, just 10 hours after first showing symptoms.

Brent

As a retired pediatrician and healthcare executive, Jeb never expected to lose his healthy adult son to flu.

Mindy

Mindy was a healthy mom of two when she suffered severe flu complications and spent 28 days on life support.

Madison

Madison was just 8 years old when she suffered fatal flu complications, including pneumonia and sepsis.

Joseph

5-year-old Joseph spent 10 days hospitalized with flu before it ultimately took his life.

Marcelina

Angelina lost her older sister Marcelina to the flu. Marcelina left behind her family, including her two teenage children.

Luke

Luke Duvall was a healthy, athletic 15-year-old when he began the fight of his life battling influenza.

Liza

Liza was previously healthy, only 49 years old and had the best medical care available when she lost her life to flu.

Gigi

Gigi admits that she never worried about getting a flu shot, until a battle with flu brought her to the brink of death.

Antonio

As an infant, Antonio's case of influenza escalated quickly and he ended up in the hospital.

Scarlet

When Scarlet was 5 years old, she passed away just 48 hours after the onset of flu symptoms.

On Capitol Hill

VYF's Vaccine Advocates share their personal stories of heartbreak with members of Congress.

COVID-19

Katy

Katy's COVID-19 illness landed her in the hospital and now she suffers from long-term complications.

Josh

Josh thought he was low-risk, yet he endured a double lung transplant and 4 months in the hospital due to COVID.

Teresa

At 10 years old, Teresa loved to sing and dance. Sadly, she lost her life to COVID in just a few short days.

Dwight & Brenda

Married for 54 years, Dwight and Brenda tragically lost their lives to COVID within one day of each other.

Kristin

Kristin was a healthy, 31-year-old nurse practitioner when she fell ill with COVID, causing her life to change drastically.

Braden

15-year-old Braden didn't have an opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before it took his life.

Sarah

Sarah was vaccinated against COVID-19 while pregnant to help protect her daughter.

Monica

Monica shares her daughter's miraculous story of survival after being hospitalized with COVID-19 for 130 days.

Maria

Maria was a healthy adult in her 40's, but that didn't prevent her from spending 69 days on life support with COVID.

HPV

Mary

When Mary Beth was just 7 years old, she lost her grandmother, Mary, to cervical cancer.

Tamika

Tamika's life was forever changed when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in her 20s.

Jason

Jason was 49 years old when he received the scary diagnosis of stage 4 HPV-related tonsil cancer. 

Heather

The cancer that took Heather's life at the age of 31 is now preventable thanks to vaccines.

Measles

Suzanne

Suzanne survived measles before vaccines and describes the life-long complications she’s endured as a result of her illness.

Maggie

Maggie was exposed to measles at the same time she was fighting a difficult battle with cancer.

Joshua

Joshua didn't know he wasn't vaccinated against measles until he began experiencing a high fever and rash.

On Capitol Hill

VYF's Vaccine Advocates share their personal stories of heartbreak with members of Congress.

Meningitis

Grace

Grace was a healthy toddler until she caught meningitis in 2018, leading her to spend 8 days in the ICU.

Kaya

Kaya was a healthy baby until she caught meningitis in April 2015, leaving her hospitalized and fighting for her life.

Francesca

At 17 years old, Francesca was a healthy, active athlete with exciting plans for college when she contracted bacterial meningitis.

Evan

Evan was a star college baseball player when he contracted deadly meningococcal meningitis.

Emily

At 19 years old, Emily was just settling into college when she lost her life to bacterial meningitis.

Kimberly

Kimberly was getting ready for her high school prom when meningococcal disease took her life.

Ryan

Ryan was just 18 years old when his dreams of playing pro golf were cut short by meningitis.

Samantha

Samantha was just nine months old when her life was forever changed by meningococcal disease.

On Capitol Hill

VYF's Vaccine Advocates share their personal stories of heartbreak with members of Congress.

Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Dylan

Dylan caught whooping cough in elementary school and dealt with a debilitating cough for a year.

Elijah

Elijah was a healthy baby, until he caught whooping cough and ended up in the hospital for four weeks.

Callie

Callie was her parents' miracle baby, until she contracted whooping cough in the hospital.

Carter

Even with all of the medical technology available, whooping cough took Carter's young life.

Brie

Brie was just 7 days short of receiving her 1st DTaP vaccine when she passed away from whooping cough.

Brady

Brady's parents were unaware of a vaccine they could have received in order to protect him.

Claire Noelle

Claire's pediatrician mother, Rebecca, shares the story of their life-altering encounter with whooping cough.

On Capitol Hill

VYF's Vaccine Advocates share their personal stories of heartbreak with members of Congress.

Hepatitis B

Ally

Ally was exposed to hepatitis B at birth and shares how the virus has impacted her life and family.

Vivian

Vivian shares her unique perspective on the life-saving power of the Hepatitis B vaccine as a patient and physician.

Chelle

Chelle learned she had hepatitis B after trying to donate to a military blood drive at 18 years old.

Sura

Sura's brother passed away from complications of hepatitis b when they were both in medical school in Syria.

William

Prior to the birth of his first child, William learned about his hepatitis b through a required health insurance blood test.

Joe

Years after his hepatitis b diagnosis, Joe learned he had developed related complications.

Alan

It was only when Alan became ill himself that he realized how hepatitis B had impacted his other family members.

Alice

Because her culture doesn't discuss illness, Alice only learned she had hepatitis B when she became pregnant.

Polio

Carol

Carol's post-polio journey was long, painful, and truly confusing until her diagnosis in 2013. 

Mildred

Mary Beth vividly remembers how her childhood was affected by her mother, Mildred’s, experience with polio.

Jan

At just six years old, Jan survived a polio epidemic which sickened and killed her brother.

John N.

John caught polio as an infant in 1953; he’s now a passionate advocate for immunization.

Deborah

Deborah remembers being 5 years old when her parents had to leave her at the hospital.

John M.

Due to his illness John has used crutches for 65 years and developed post-polio syndrome.

Nancy

Nancy had polio in 1950 when she was six years old. Physical therapy allowed her to walk again.

Vera

While traveling abroad at age 22, Vera was diagnosed with polio. Later in life, she developed post-polio syndrome.

Holly

Holly had polio in 1942; she shares her story to explain why we must continue to vaccinate to protect our children.

Richard

Richard Daggett was 13 years old when he got polio; that day was the beginning of a life-long journey.

Judith

Judith was diagnosed with paralytic poliomyelitis when she was six years old, leaving her with life long disability.

Chickenpox & Shingles

Leticia

Leticia had never heard of shingles until she suddenly developed painful symptoms of the virus.

Amy

Amy shares the story of how she suffered from shingles triggered by a stressful period of her life.

Leslie

Leslie shares the story of how she suffered from chickenpox during her senior year of college.

Rory

One-year-old Rory got a terrible case of the chickenpox due to a lack of "community immunity."

RSV

Laith

Laith contracted RSV before prevention options were available and spent five days in the hospital.

Hunter

Hunter was 6 months old when he contracted RSV. After landing in the ER, it took him months to recover.

Kerry

Kerry was only a newborn when she contracted RSV at the hospital. Her illness was very frightening for her parents.

Sarah

Sarah was hospitalized with RSV at just four weeks old. Her illness was terrifying and stressful for her family.

More Stories

Colleen

After Colleen learned her son had a primary immunodeficiency, she began advocating for vaccines.

Liam

Liam was a healthy 8-year-old boy when he lost his life to Heamophilus influenzae type B (Hib).

Henry

Henry's parents share their son's experience with cancer and why vaccination matters to them.

Ethan

After growing up unvaccinated, Ethan explains how he made an informed choice to get himself vaccinated at 18.

On Capitol Hill

VYF's Vaccine Advocates share their personal stories of heartbreak with members of Congress.
Watch Personal Stories Videos

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