Her Story & Her Mission
Our team was really inspired by many powerful figures in the pro vaccine movement but someone who especially impacted our project was Janice Flood Nichols. A polio survivor, she devoted her life to educating people about the importance of vaccines. She is a firsthand account of the famous polio outbreak in Dewitt, New York in 1953. She lost her brother to the disease and suffered the devastating effects of the disease herself. She is a published writer and a speaker for the cause. We have the utmost respect for her and her mission. We highly recommend that you check out her book Twin Voices which is a touching memoir about her unforgettable struggle with the disease. It is because of vaccines that such deadly diseases are in many places completely forgotten.
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We had the pleasure of speaking personally with Mrs. Nichols about her past, her accomplishments as a vaccine advocate, and various details about her work. She is a wealth of information on the topic of Polio and has lived some truly amazing experiences. She gave our team some information about how she reaches out to people regarding the issue and some of the different struggles she encounters in doing so.
"I speak to many different groups with various opinions represented. I have found that individuals who are strongly opposed to vaccines do not care to receive medical information – their minds are made up. For parents who are confused, I often suggest specific books and studies in the hope that credible medical information will convince them to vaccinate their children.You have to concentrate on what you can do, not on individuals who will never listen."
Like Mrs. Nichols, our team uses reliable scientific resources to validate the information we relay to the public. One of the difficulties that the pro-vaccine campaign has to work against is the lack of knowledge among many parents and teens regarding diseases that are in many places completely forgotten.
"Today’s young parents have not seen many of the diseases that my generation experienced. Sadly, the adage 'out of sight, out of mind' complicates the work of vaccine advocates."
She's absolutely right. Mrs. Nichols and her family suffered the devastating effects of Polio, while many parents today have never seen diseases such as this. She fears that if parents continue to neglect getting vaccinated, the country could suffer another outbreak like the one her and her classmates experienced.
"As a polio survivor, I cannot stand that thought and will do everything in my power to fight against that possibility."
Mrs. Nichols also talked to us about some of the most rewarding aspects of her efforts. She has made a tremendous impact on the pro-vaccine cause.
"I cannot change the fate of my twin brother Frankie or my two friends who died from complications of polio. I am only one person, but I can lend my voice to the millions of health professionals worldwide whose only interest is to protect children and adults from diseases that can be prevented I have to use my recovery for a good purpose and I hope that that’s what I do each day. "
"I speak to many different groups with various opinions represented. I have found that individuals who are strongly opposed to vaccines do not care to receive medical information – their minds are made up. For parents who are confused, I often suggest specific books and studies in the hope that credible medical information will convince them to vaccinate their children.You have to concentrate on what you can do, not on individuals who will never listen."
Like Mrs. Nichols, our team uses reliable scientific resources to validate the information we relay to the public. One of the difficulties that the pro-vaccine campaign has to work against is the lack of knowledge among many parents and teens regarding diseases that are in many places completely forgotten.
"Today’s young parents have not seen many of the diseases that my generation experienced. Sadly, the adage 'out of sight, out of mind' complicates the work of vaccine advocates."
She's absolutely right. Mrs. Nichols and her family suffered the devastating effects of Polio, while many parents today have never seen diseases such as this. She fears that if parents continue to neglect getting vaccinated, the country could suffer another outbreak like the one her and her classmates experienced.
"As a polio survivor, I cannot stand that thought and will do everything in my power to fight against that possibility."
Mrs. Nichols also talked to us about some of the most rewarding aspects of her efforts. She has made a tremendous impact on the pro-vaccine cause.
"I cannot change the fate of my twin brother Frankie or my two friends who died from complications of polio. I am only one person, but I can lend my voice to the millions of health professionals worldwide whose only interest is to protect children and adults from diseases that can be prevented I have to use my recovery for a good purpose and I hope that that’s what I do each day. "