Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and my husband...and me...but not the dog. His name is Dexter.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Every Child Deserves a Shot@Life

Baby's first smile. It's such a significant milestone that every pregnant woman daydreams about. Unless you live in a country like Sudan where the childhood mortality rate is so high that most mothers have lost the ability to cry and mourn the death of their child. Because it is expected. The loss of their baby is expected.

On December 30,2004 Lolly shared her first beautiful smile with me. We were at a store and I asked her if she wanted to go home to see Daddy who was on his way home from work. Her answer was a big, beautiful smile that I have grown to love more and more each day.
Fast forward ten months. I got sick. I got one of those annoying colds that just won't go away. It turned into a respiratory infection. And despite the medicine I was taking it still turned into a nasty case of pneumonia. I was hospitalized for five days, but thanks to modern medicine, a doctor that finally paid attention and a caring hospital staff I got better and was allowed to go home and return to my number one job...being Mommy.

Without the help of modern medicine and immunizations, neither of those miracles would have happened. In January 2000, with global immunization rates stagnating, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) was launched to fund vaccines for children in the world's 70 poorest countries. It's mission is to save children's lives and protect people's health by increasing access to immunization in the world's poorest countries. To give every mother and child the gift of that first smile.
 Here are some tragic and changeable statistics**:
  • One child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that could be prevented from with a vaccine. 
  •  Children are disabled or killed every year by vaccine-preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio.
  • Pneumonia and diarrhea are the two biggest killers of children under five, and account for more than one-third of childhood deaths worldwide.
  • Polio has recently reemerged in areas that had been polio-free for years and measles still kills an estimated 450 people each day—the majority of whom are young children.
  • 1.5 million children die every year from vaccine preventable diseases.
  • 1.5 million children.
But they don't have to.  While those statistics are just as staggering as they are devastating, there is something you can do.  The United Nations Foundation has started the Shot@Life campaign to get these life saving vaccines to children around the world that need it so very desperately.  And you can help!

Visit the Shot@Life website where you can learn more about their campaign and sign up to contribute.  Just $20 gives a child a lifetime of their needed immunizations.  Even a $5 contribution goes to help these children.  Truly, every donation helps.  You can also learn how you can get involved in this amazing campaign.

Another way you can help is in August there will be Blogust:Blog Relay for Good.  Everyday there will be a different blogger that will post an inspirational post and for every comment they get, $20 will be donated to the Shot@Life campaign to help bring vaccines to children around the world.

Just leave a comment and you will save a life.


**Statistics taken from the Shot@Life website.      

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Updating......Please Wait......

It has been almost a full month since I last posted. I'm sure you've all been desperately trying to figure out why I seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. Is it because it's summer? Is she super busy doing fun things with her kids? Has she lost track of the days? Has she completely lost her mind? While the answer to all of those questions is an enthusiastic yes, that's not the real reason. Sadly, the real reason is that our poor laptop has fallen on hard times. It is so completely exhausted that it now refuses to even start up. Except for the fan. The fan is a real trooper and keeps going. Even when the laptop is closed.

But I have so much to tell you about! Swimming lessons. Summer fun. The 4th of July. Going to EVO!!! The annual family trip to Bear Lake. And even the awesome story about how I am currently blogging on our new iPad! I'm still in shock over that one. But alas....it is past my bedtime so all those thrilling stories will have to wait for another time. Maybe a time when I can actually access all the fabulous photographic proof of our awesomely fun summer. And stay awake.
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