Vaccinations

When I was a child there were not that many vaccinations available, they were pretty much just becoming widely available or used.  The one our school provided to every student was the Polio vaccine.  Every student was lined up and received that vaccine.  I can remember it being a somber time as it was a serious illness and a bit stressful to get the vaccine, but we all got it and returned to our classrooms silently.  Nearly every student knew someone or was related to someone who had died or was handicapped from having polio.  
I did not escape some of the childhood illnesses that my children or grandchildren have been able to escape due to being vaccinated.  One such illness was the Mumps, which I had.  The mumps were horribly painful, you could barely swallow because all the glands on your neck and head were swollen to enormous size.  You sipped fluid, you did NOT eat anything that was simply impossible.  The glands were so inflamed you could not even bare a slight touch to them.  There was no comfort, you could not lay down because that required your neck or head touching a pillow, if you sat up the weight of you head was too much on your neck.  It was horrific.  I remember silently crying and praying.  The only thing you could do for it was to take aspirin and wait for it to pass.  When I was young they did not have Tylenol and knew nothing about Rye syndrome.  My glands swelled so large that I remember my eyes even swelled.  My school mates sent cards and messages no one was allowed to visit, the teacher did not send work however because she knew the illness was too bad, students were never able to do work at home when they had the mumps.  My father had to stay away from the house as it was quite serious for an adult male to get the mumps, I cannot remember why, I just remember being told that.
It wasn't too long before I had the mumps that I had had the measles.  This illness has a vaccine now but as we have seen in the news lately it is making a come back because people don't feel compelled to be vaccinated.  It too was a miserable disease.  It was like being on fire, there was no rest.  Again, mom gave me aspirin, cooled me with a cool rag to my forehead and again I waited it out.  A little dehydration and kidney issues to clear up with time and the awful rash that took what seemed forever to go away.  
Yes, some will say that I am a testimony that the illnesses are not that bad.  I am here to say that I felt like death and my mother had been a nurse so the look in her eyes as she look care of me said things were not as simple as she made them seem.  That plus the fact that I was just a little kid in third grade and we don't quite see the danger in things at that age.  I am thankful that my mom knew how to take care of me and knew to isolate me for the safety of others. 
I still give a vote of confidence to most vaccinations.