Vaccines are necessary because the diseases they prevent still exist. Although you may not know someone who has had a vaccine-preventable disease, many families have endured the consequences of these infections. We have collected, and continue to collect, some of their stories and post them here.

Sharing these stories is an important aspect of our work because many people are not familiar with vaccine-preventable diseases, and, unfortunately, that means some people don't feel it is important to continue immunizing their children against these diseases. As anyone who has lived through a vaccine-preventable disease will tell you, it is much easier to endure the brief moment of pain from a shot than to endure a serious illness.

Submit your story

Read personal stories