Guilt-Stricken Mom Shares Scary Story to Show the Importance of Vaccinating

Although vaccination is a hot-button topic for parents, experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC have specific guidelines outlining when baby should get vaccinated. Still, there are skeptics.

Jessica Leigh Boren used to be one of them. But everything changed when doctors informed her her 18-month-old baby had pertussis, known commonly as whooping cough. Realizing she could have prevented Brody, her son, from this dangerous illness, she decided to share her terrifying story on Facebook as a warning for other parents.

Throughout the viral Facebook post, she recounts the moment she knew her son had the disease, and the instant regret she felt after not vaccinating him due to fear caused by online “anti-vaxx” conversations.

“This is a mother that see’s ‘anti-vaxx’ all over social media and becomes terrified,” she explains. “Unsure whether to give or not give vaccines… Terrified to ‘pump her baby with poison.’ Worried she’s harming her child. So she stops vaccinating after six months.”

Whooping cough takes a toll on little ones. Babies with the disease often suffer from violent coughing fits, vomiting due to coughing, deep breathing, and exhaustion. In the post, Boren describes these awful symptoms on her son in detail.

“This is a baby boy struggling to breathe and turning blue with every cough. Coughing for over a minute each time. Multiple times an hour. For five days. Getting worse by the second,” she shares.

After the terrifying moment when she noticed her son had many symptoms associated with whooping cough, she rushed him to the ER. Doctors initially comforted her, explaining how pertussis has become extremely rare. But knowing her son had not been vaccinated, she had a terrible “gut feeling” he had the disease.

She shares her guilt saying, “this is our son getting diagnosed with a deadly illness that could [have] totally been prevented… This is knowing your son could have this cough for up to 100 days, and knowing there’s nothing you can do about it. No way to take away his pain.”

“This is guilt. Guilt of putting not only my son at risk, but my community too,” the regretful mother says. “This is being a statistic that had to be reported to our county and surrounding counties… This is being quarantined in our home for five days until the antibiotics run its course so we don’t put any other children, family or elderly in danger.

And finally, “this is embarrassment.”

The mom owns up to her mistake and hopes others will learn from her story.

“The decisions I made were my decisions, based purely on my lack of knowledge and fear. This is to show the consequences of not vaccinating my child correctly. This is our story, in hopes that our awful experience can help educate other families,” she says.

Sharing photos of her baby suffering from whooping cough, she leaves off with a final message: “This is why you should vaccinate and protect your children.”

Fear of vaccination is an all-too-common occurrence for parents. It’s easy to wonder whether you are doing the right thing, but remember vaccinating is what is best for baby.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.