Let’s not replay the tragedy of life without vaccinations | Letter
Falmouth mother reflects on family’s experience with vaccines and the progress of medicine
Falmouth, Maine – A local resident wrote a letter to the editor of The Press Herald in which she shared personal anecdotes about her child’s routine vaccinations and reflected on the broader impact of medical advances on her family’s history.
Mariana Tupper, who lives in Falmouth, recounted how her daughter’s first shots seemed to go differently than she expected. “When our baby began receiving the recommended shots, I was pleased but mystified by her reaction: she simply smiled at the nurse,” Tupper wrote. “I wondered if babies were supposed to yell.” She noted that subsequent visits for follow‑up vaccines were marked by positive interactions between her child and the nurses. “Finally, a few years later, our child — then a toddler — loudly conveyed her opinion about that sharp ‘pinch.’ Phew,” she added.
Tupper used these memories as a springboard to discuss the history of disease in her own family. She mentioned that before penicillin was widely available in the 1940s, her grandmother’s sister died at age 21 in 1930 of pneumonia. She also recalled how smallpox, typhoid, diphtheria, yellow fever, polio, mumps, measles and tetanus had once terrorized communities. “I’m glad that many other diseases have been controlled thanks to science,” she wrote. “My ancestors also feared yellow fever, polio, mumps, measles and tetanus.”
The letter’s concluding message urges continued access to lifesaving treatments. “Let’s not replay those tragedies,” Tupper wrote. “Instead, let’s ensure that everyone gets to learn about the best medications available. My ancestors would have loved access to such medicines.”
The letter appeared in the “Letter to the Editor” section of The Press Herald, tagged with the article category “letter to the editor.” It reflects the concerns of a Maine family that has witnessed both the challenges of disease before modern medicine and the relief of vaccines and antibiotics in recent decades.
