Since the day I became a mother meningitis has been something that's terrified me. Every rash Oliver has had in the last 6 years of his life has had a glass on it. He and Isabelle are my babies, they always will be even when they're adults and as a mother my aim is to keep them safe and well.
You will have seen in the media this week beautiful little Faye who sadly passed away on Valentines day from meningitis. She was 2 years old. So close to the age of Isabelle. Faye has been on my mind ever since, as she has many other minds too, her story has really touched so many people which is why the petition for the meningitis b vaccine to be given to all children up to the age of 11, has had so many signatures in the last few days which it so truly deserves. I hope that people continue to sign the petition because it's such an important one.
Currently the NHS vaccinate newborns and I understand it's expensive to vaccinate all but why can't we work something out as a country to keep our children safe from this terrible thing? I'm sure that parents who were able to afford to pay the price of the actual injection and not an inflated cost from a private doctors would pay it. I know not everyone can afford to pay, it's so so upsetting knowing that there's something out there to protect them but we aren't giving it to them because of money.
When I get into worrying about something, I get really OCD about it and therefore yesterday I spent the entire morning on the phone to various clinics trying to get my hands on a private vaccine against meningitis b.
I was told again and again that there isn't any available right now and that it will be back in stock in the summer. That's not when I want it. I want it now!
Here's the thing, I did find somewhere and I didn't book it. I let the appointment slip away from me and into the hands of another parent - why? Not because I didn't want it, I haven't changed my mind. It was because the clinic was one I'd never ever heard of before, I couldn't find out a lot about them online really, they said one thing on the phone and then said another thing which confused me a lot - do I trust them with injecting something into my child? No not really.
The clinic even said that they had lots in stock? How? If other places don't? They said they could get more in stock next week - how? If other well known private practices cannot? How can they? See how I'm getting OCD about even this?... They also wanted payment upfront for both lots of jabs, so anyway it just smelt a be fishy so I left it. Which was incredibly hard to do. I didn't want to leave it. I wanted to believe it was genuine but my instincts said no.
So now I'm worrying even more than I was before and I guess this blog post is because of my worry. Since there's a shortage and now, understandably everyone wants it done as soon as possible. I'm amongst those parents, I want my child to be protected against something that we have protection out there for! Don't get me wrong, as a family we can't afford to go privately at the cost that was told to me of £500 for two jabs for both children but my goodness I'd of found that money from somewhere.
I'm laying in bed awake & I just needed to write about this to get it off my chest. The good thing about having a blog is that you can write things and hope that someone somewhere is reading and will sign the petition to get the numbers up even further, meaning you have helped in the teeniest smallest way you can, lets show the government that we will not back down on this one. That it's important and that it needs to be sorted as soon as possible.
As soon as boots gets it back in stock, I'm going to book both of my children in for the vaccine. Boots charge much less than the "private clinic" I thought I'd found and they are someone I feel I can trust.
If you have twitter please join the #vaccinateNOW hashtag
If you haven't signed this already then please do - https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108072
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