Mother Of 8-Year-Old With Cancer Urges Parents To Vaccinate Their Kids As An 'Act Of Compassion'

People who have cancer are among those who rely on herd immunity for protection from diseases because their immune systems are compromised but they cannot get vaccinated.

One mother of a young cancer patient is begging other parents to have their children vaccinated.

In a series of tweets, Stellon O’Donnell shared her 8-year-old daughter’s dangerous experience after being exposed to measles.

‘Casual’ Measles Exposure

After O’Donnell and her daughter got a “casual” exposure to measles while at a grocery store while she was on chemotherapy, her daughter was quarantined for one month. According to her, it was only fortunate that this happened in the summer, so her daughter did not miss school.

Furthermore, the infusion room where they were in had to be shut down and be given a terminal cleaning while the doctors were still sorting out the exact details of her exposure. This did not only disrupt their own appointment, but the appointments of the other children with cancer who needed to get treatment.

This also increased the risks of the other children to be injected with Neulasta to increase their white blood cell counts, a treatment that can result in bone pain. Fortunately, none of the other patients had to be given the drug.

‘Act Of Compassion’

As such, O’Donnell is urging the parents of other children to have their children vaccinated, not just for them but for the many other people who rely on herd immunity for protection. This includes cancer patients whose immune systems are weakened by chemotherapy, those without a fully working immune system, people with HIV, the elderly, those who are sick, and those who are still too young to get immunized.

These people cannot get vaccinated and are more vulnerable to diseases. They rely on other people’s immunity for their own safety, but herd immunity can only work if most of the people in the community are immunized. Otherwise, diseases can still be spread and the community may still be open to outbreaks.