We're Famous!

Well, no, not really.

But we did make the front page, first headline of the Saturday Cincinnati Enquirer!

I was interviewed on how I felt about having the boys participate in the H1N1 vaccine clinical trial here at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center -- we are trying to get the boys into the study.

Crickets chirping ...

I know many Moms out there are wondering what the heck am I thinking. Well, here is what I am thinking ...

Dan and I are scientists by education and training, and we have done much research into vaccines and the safety of clinical trials.

My husband even worked for a company which conducts clinical trials, and he now works for a company that is involved with vaccine production.

In my job with the school district, I am part of their District Incident Management Team. Our district has worked extensively with the city, state, and federal government to be prepared for a pandemic flu long before H1N1.

Knowing how potentially devastating a pandemic flu could be, I feel that our participation in a clinical trial is our way of helping to protect millions of people. And hopefully protect my sons as an added bonus.

Honestly, I am more fearful of my sons being harmed in a car accident to and from the church than I am from side effects of a vaccine clinical trial.

That being said, I will only have my children participate in the NIH sponsored clinical trial for this vaccine at Children's Hospital. I feel extremely comfortable with NIH, Children's Hospital, and the particular vaccine producers for that trial.

And I will only have the boys in the study after I have seen the Patient Information Sheet that would state if the vaccine type is attenuated, acellular, or inactivated, and if there are any adjuvants such as squalene, thimerosal, or alum in the vaccine. These facts will weigh heavily into our decision to participate.

As we continue to gather information to make an informed decision, we are also still actively weighing the risks and benefits.

When the paper decided to use us in the story, they sent out a photographer to take a bunch of pictures for the article. They ended up just running the straight story with no pictures, but the boys still loved meeting the photographer and playing with her camera. She was such a good sport.