8.01.2014

Blogust: When Your Comments Save Lives

August = Blogust. And Blogust is the wonderful time of year when the UN Foundation's Shot@Life taps members of the social media milieu and Blogosphere, to use our synergistic connectivity to save lives: "Every time you comment on or share the Blogust posts, Walgreens will help provide a life-saving vaccine for children around the world who need them most."

That means that every comment -- on this post, or on one of the Blogust14 posts that will be rolling out during this month of August -- is literally a chance to save a life, to get a vaccine to a child who otherwise would not get have that chance. It couldn't be easier, so please comment comment comment and spread the word.

Here's more of what Blogust is all about:


Image description: tiny beige-skinned girl,
age 3, holding an inflated purple latex
glove in front of her face.
Why do I care so much about getting vaccines to kids in countries where vaccine access is limited? Besides being a mom, besides having a heart, besides being grateful to be be part of a movement that makes taking action -- real action -- so damn easy?

Because I'm lucky. Because my third child, Mali, didn't get her first vaccinations until she was three because her brother, Leo, is autistic, and in 2003 no one could tell me why, and I fell for the vaccine-autism causation hoaxes of the era.

I know better now -- there is no link between vaccines and autism, and autism is nothing to fear -- and thankfully nothing happened to Mali -- she didn't die from pertussis as a baby, and she didn't die from measles encephalitis as a toddler. But she could have. And other kids, shamefully, still do. And you can help prevent more of those deaths simply by commenting on Blogust14 posts and social media.

So please, please participate. Every child belongs to all of us. Every child is valuable. Every child matters. Every child could be your child. Every child deserves, well, a Shot@Life.

More information:

42 comments:

  1. "Every child belongs to all of us." Love that. Well said. Here's to making an impact through caring and compassion!

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    1. Thank you for commenting, and walking the walk. It's so easy to look out for all of the world's (AKA our) children this way.

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  2. Blogust is my new favorite month. Thx for this wonderful post about this very awesome cause; kudos to every person, blogger, company and organization that is making this possible.

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    1. Thank you for participating! Just because it's easy doesn't mean people do it; there's so much static in the social media realms. So I'm really grateful when people like you make it all the way through to commenting.

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  3. I'll bite, timely as only a few minutes ago I was making an appointment for my daughter's four year old vacc. appt.

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    1. Hope your little bit was OK! I used give my kids LOTR figurines after each vaccination. Now I guess it'd have to be Hobbit figurines.

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  4. Sure glad that funny & feisty Ms. Mali is still with us, and healthy too!

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  5. That's awesome, hope you get lots of comments.

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    1. Thanks Anita. You can also go to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and search for the hashtag #blogust -- all your likes and comments and RTs there count, too.

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  6. Thanks for the opportunity to once again help distribute vaccines to those that desperately need them. (I also participated in the "Share a Photo" vaccine event due to your writing about it.) I hope #Blogust is a huge success!

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    1. They're hoping to donate 60k vaccines this year, and they're well on their way. Sincere thanks for helping out.

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  7. Wonderful cause!

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  8. Thanks for sharing your story!

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  9. We are SO lucky--that our children have access to vaccinations and that people like you are getting the word out about the awful misinformation on vaccines. And we are lucky that we can help children around the world get access to vaccines. Thanks, Shan.

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Ellen. And for being part of the wonderful Shot@Life initiative. And for donating vaccines. And for being you!

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  10. Thank you for highlighting the importance of this, and the reasons that leads you to speak up for children's health. Your words touched me.

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    1. Thanks Dorit. I really do empathize with parents who have questions. But it empathize more with the parents and kids who never even have the chance to question vaccines due to lack of access. Your comment is appreciated.

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  11. What a wonderful thing to do. Every child deserves to be healthy and safe from vaccine-preventable diseases.

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  12. I feel so lucky that I live where my kids have access to safe vaccines. Thanks for all the outreach you do, Shan!

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    1. Thanks for keeping your kids healthy and safe, and for making it possible for other kids to do so, too.

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  13. Thank you for advocating positively for vaccines. It makes a huge difference in the lives of children around the world.

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    1. Likewise -- because BING you just made a vaccine happen. :)

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  14. I am thinking about renewing the useful vaccines. I am 26 years old.

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  15. Anonymous5:21 PM

    Shannon, thank you for your ongoing efforts to help educate people about the importance of vaccines. We are fortunate in this country. Parents in the U.S. don't encounter many vaccine preventable diseases because of the success of our nation's immunization program. But that is why we have hope for the children all around the world. If a comment can help a child to receive a life-saving vaccine, than we are one step closer to bringing good health to all the children of the world. And that, in turn, can bring peace of mind to mothers and fathers who want nothing more than to keep their children healthy and happy. You, my friend, are such an inspiration, because you are helping to not only spread the word, but to turn those words into life changing actions!

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    1. Thanks, Christine. I am especially impressed by people like you who do so much to spread the word about vaccines, and do it so tirelessly.

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  16. #getvaccinated #FightFlu

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  17. #endpreventableillness

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  18. I hope there's still time to make this comment count! (Also, this might be a double post? I guess that's a good thing in this context, though.) Thanks for advocating for vaccines, Shannon.

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Respectful disagreement encouraged.