The Towers Fell and We Rose Again to Give Another Day
Sep 10, 2013

I woke up today and realized that tomorrow is September 11^th.  Of course, this date conjures up a variety of emotions for me.  From horror to heroism, to prayer and patriotism.  Having a friend who died in the Twin Towers, and a husband who has served several tours in Afghanistan, it’s easy to see how the events of that historic day have made an indelible mark on my life.
In the days following September 11, 2001 I spent a great deal of time contemplating the massive loss of life and what we could’ve done to prevent it.  As devastating as these atrocities were, I had to acknowledge that senseless tragedies   day around the world, killing and maiming thousands of innocent people.  But sadly, we often fail to do what may be necessary to prevent such loss.   Since most of us rarely encounter loss on such an enormous scale, these tragedies are often overshadowed by what we consider to be more pressing concerns.
However, on this anniversary of September 11, 2001, I ask you to consider more.
Almost two years ago, in an effort to expand my immunization advocacy efforts, I became a Shot@Life champion and pledged to improve global vaccine access by educating, connecting and empowering Americans to help protect children in developing countries from vaccine preventable diseases.  When I learned that millions of children die every year from vaccine preventable diseases – one every 20 seconds – I could only hope that my efforts to reduce these deaths would be successful.  As in the days after September 11, 2001, I simply wanted  to help.
Years ago I was moved by the way in which people responded to the loss and devastation of September 11, 2001 so I’m hoping people will extend that same level of compassion to others who are in need today.  Following the fall of the Twin Towers, the burning of The Pentagon and the fiery crash in a field in Pennsylvania, Americans joined together to help those who survived and comfort those who had suffered the loss of their loved ones.  Today, I challenge everyone to give in another way.  
Children around the world are at risk of deadly diseases all because they don’t have access to the vaccines that most American families take for granted.  Mothers and fathers who have witnessed the devastating suffering and death from preventable diseases like polio and measles continue to live in fear that their children will be the next victims. It’s all very similar to the grief we felt on that terrible day twelve years ago.
Now that we have done our best to recover, I ask you to consider helping prevent another senseless tragedy.  By visiting your local Walgreens and getting an immunization between now and October 14th – whether it be a seasonal flu shot, an adult Tdap booster, or even a meningitis, pneumonia or shingles vaccine – you will not only help to protect yourself and your community from vaccine preventable diseases, but you’ll also be helping to provide protection to a child in a developing country through a special partnership between Walgreens and the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign.
Millions of children in developing countries are unfamiliar with the “corner of happy and healthy”.  But that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a shot at getting there.  Demonstrate your compassion by giving every child the shot at life that they deserve and visit Walgreens to learn more about the “Get a Shot. Give a Shot.” campaign.  Together we can give the gift of another day.

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