It’s Not Too Late To Save Lives
Dec 23, 2013

By ECBT Executive Director, Amy Pisani

Please Consider Supporting Every Child By Two’s Efforts This Holiday Season

Whooping cough (pertussis) and influenza continue to take the lives of too many precious children here in the U.S. Please consider helping support Every Child By Two’s programs including our upcoming Vaccinate Your Family initiative, which will focus on the need to protect infants from the dangers of influenza and whooping cough, as well as other deadly diseases.

ECBT Cofounders Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers express their gratitude .

ECBT Cofounders Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers express their gratitude.

We are truly grateful to the many families who willingly share their stories of heartbreak after losing their children, all in an effort to protect others from sharing the same fate.

Caring people like Brie’s parents, Danielle and Ralph whose baby girl was taken from them before an adult vaccine to protect against whooping cough was available in the U.S., a vaccine that may have protected Brie from contracting it from a contagious adult. 

Families_brie_romagueraBrie was the impetus for the development of ECBT’s Vaccinate Your Baby initiative, and since developing the campaign we have met many more wonderful families like the Van Tornhouts, Dubes and Riffenburg- Alcaides, all who share a similarly tragic pertussis story.

LukeDuvallwithH1N1

Luke and his mother during his bout with H1N1

Other families such as the Duvalls, whose son was nearly taken from them during the influenza pandemic inspire us daily.  My own family experienced the frightening hospitalization of our oldest son from influenza twice as an infant, prior to the licensing of the vaccine for young children. Watching him lie there in a huge hospital crib, tied down so that he not pull out his intravenous lines, struggling to breathe through the tiny oxygen mask strapped to his face, was truly heart wrenching.  I am truly grateful that he was spared each time. Sadly, not all children are as lucky as my son. Nearly 150 children die each year from influenza…deaths that can be prevented through annual vaccination.

As we expand our efforts to save the lives of young children through our new Vaccinate Your Family (VYF) campaign, we need your help.  The initiative will educate the public about  the critical importance of vaccinating the entire family against vaccine-preventable diseases. Campaign messages will focus on influenza and pertussis vaccination and the strategy of “cocooning” infants by vaccinating pregnant women, parents, families and other close contacts.

Unfortunately, as the economy continues to recover we’ve seen traditional funding sources diminish and so we rely on your support more now than ever before. By making a tax deductible donation, you can help us make a lasting impact on the health of children everywhere.  

Please visit our donation page and consider a contribution that demonstrates the value of vaccines. Whether you can give $15, $50, 500, or more, your contribution is critical to ECBT’s mission to save lives through timely vaccination.

We are truly grateful for your partnership and for all you do to ensure the health of children.

With Warmest Wishes for a Wonderful Holiday Season, The Every Child By Two Team

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