Hello; many people know my work as a graphic designer or web developer for my company, Grover Communications. Or, they may know me as a Rochester area marketing director. This channel, however, is dedicated to my deep creative side, as an illustrator, fine artist, and director/producer. Home of Thalidomide in the USA: the Forgotten Survivors.
When I was little girl growing up in a suburb of Detroit in the 60s and early 70s, I had a playmate who was a Thalidamide survivor. I think she was born around 1963. I don't remember her name (my memory of childhood friend's names is starting to fade in my 60s!), but I liked her and never thought of her as "disabled", only different. She played the same games the rest of us did. I have always wondered how her life turned out. I was surprised to hear there are only about 100 Thalidomide survivors in the United States. If you are that person reading this, I have never forgotten you, and you have always been in my thoughts and prayers! I join this community in demanding justice for survivors!
never again, i hope The right person will always appear at the right time in history. in my opinion, both Charles Eisenstein and Robert Kennedy are the right men for this time. kennedy is the remedy. never again thalidomide and the likes
Jean, this is an excellent documentary and I'm so glad to have been able to meet so many of your "family" members through this medium. You're a brave woman and I'm blessed to have you as my bff. Love you!❤ (Now, let's get some Thai food.)😂
germans were supposed to design it as a tranquilizer for much stronger animals and no lethal dose but it should've been for those animals instead of kids
we didnt start the fire by billy joel references it , i remember kids worse off than this , i remember brain damages kids in wheelchairs that made stephen hawkings look normal and i remember thinking man that must have been tough on the parents , years later i noticed you dont really see it as often anymore and the realization some of those parents couldnt take it anymore and oh dear there was a blackout last night and the backup life support didnt work , nothing but tragic
So my grandmother had been prescribed Thalidomide when she was pregnant with my my mom my mother was illegitimate when my grandmother was in a car accident her family had sent her off to live with a relative in the country and my grandmother never picked up the prescription
I had a friend when I was small in NYC, her name was Susie,she used her toes to dig in the sand pile, I tried to copy her. She push my doll stroller and fell and could not stop he fall because she only had hands on her shoulders. Her mom brought her to Spain to get fake arms. She was very pretty with blonde hair, she had an older brother. My mom told me that her mother had taken a morning sickness pill and that was what had caused this it was given out in 1956.
My Mexican friends tell me that Thalidomide is an OTC drug, sold in Mexico, for nausea and vomitting. Big letters state, not for pregnant women. And how many women know the exact moment they became pregnant? I dont know why these people are being denied medical knowledge and care. It was a hugh scandal and we all knew about it. I am a retired, RN, CCRN. I was class of 67 in a hospital training program.
We do not routinely contact people who look like survivors, but we welcome you to share our video with these people, and they can reach out to us and join our group!
As a young college student, I worked as a server in a local country club in Cincinnati. One of the workers in the kitchen (the dishwasher) was a thalidomide survivor...a black man. Despite his stub arms (his legs were relatively normal), he was an extremely hard worker and could operate the large metal dishwashing machine for the pots and pans. I would estimate his age to be about 35 in 1990. I went on to become a pharmacist in 1995. After seeing what I saw throughout my career, and after the scam of 2020, I now have zero trust in anything healthcare related...whether it is pharmaceuticals, testing devices, "research studies", etc. Before the scam, my trust was low and I didn't think it could get any lower, but it did. They proved they have no qualms about injecting poison into people, then lying about it, then gaslighting the people who try to speak up. The only way out of this is for people to understand that we do not need drugs. People are not going to agree with me, but I stand firm. When you understand that food and herbs can provide everything your body needs to heal, you need nothing else. There is a vast knowledge canyon with regard to how to treat illnesses with anything but pharmaceuticals. And I'm not talking about "supplements"...they are Big Pharma in disguise. I think about that man often. I don't know why. It's so sad that he and others were injured like this.
My mother was offered this drug to help with morning sickness. My father was stationed at Ramstein in Army base. Fortunate for me my mother said no. She did not believe in taking meds while pregnant. My heart goes out to all the victims because I could have been one too. We need to helping anyway we can. Greed was the culprit.
My dad was stationed in Germany in that time-frame as well (USAF). I was born at Weisbaden in 1960. Also very thankful that my mother did not take that stuff during her pregnancy with me.
I had no idea this happened in the US. I am so angry that happened to these people and was not even acknowledged. Thank you for this documentary to bring awareness.
My Mom was offered it for morning sickness. Thankfully, she declined. We WERE in the military, US Navy, living in the Philippines, Dad in Guam and other places in the Pacific. Somewhat miraculously, he escaped leukemia, melanoma, and other deadly cancers, one of the few. Our sister died of leukemia in 1971, age 12, probably WAS related, but we can’t prove it, so didn’t get a dime of compensation. Six of nine are still living.
my dad knew a doctor that delivered many thalidomide babies, if they were severely deformed many doctors would not "slap them on the back" they told the mother the baby was stillborn. at that time stillborns were seldom "buried" they were considered "medical waste" which meant the body was processed by a large "disposal" system.
I am 77, and I clearly remember hearing about Thalidomide. I had a baby in 1964, and there had been discussion loud and clear about that drug. I heard the drug name, never forgot it. Years later I met and worked with a Thalidomide victm. I knew what had happened to her without ever being told. I am amazed that the general population and even doctor think it was not in the USA and I worked in the medical field my whole career.
I am a nurse-midwife, beginning practice in 1987. I don't recall ever thinking that we did not have 'thalidomide babies' here in the US. I now wonder why I never had the idea that we didn't. Must have had some good instructors along the way. I've just always known that we did.
This is horrifying! I am so, so sorry that you all had to undergo these years of isolation and pain. I can’t believe you’ve had no recourse through legislation or the courts. Congratulations on your tremendous courage.
I was born in 1958 but my mother never took many drugs but I remember being horrified when I learned about the thalidomide babies. I felt that I had been extremely lucky. I did met a girl in college who said she was a thalidomide baby but she seem not to have any glaring effects. I’m very glad that this information is coming out and I hope this is a cautionary tale but I fear not. I recently heard that thalidomide is being used again in the USA. Apparently it is being used to treat myeloma , bone marrow cancer, and “ skin condition “ , aka leprosy. This makes me every angry. How can they risk having this poison around the public. What happens if it gets into the water or just taints a pregnant woman? Surely with all our many advances and medications we have other treatments options. Why take the risk? I’m not a conspiracy nut but this is an example of why people don’t trust big Pharma. These companies have repeatedly proved that money is the goal, not care and treatment. Shame on the companies and great love and respect to the people in the documentary.
I suggest reading the new Random House publication, “WONDER DRUG: the Secret History of Thalidomide in America and It’s Hidden Victims” …. It really outlines what TRULY happened …. Who lied, who withheld info, and who failed to prosecute!
Brilliant documentary I just watched right now. I am a german Thalidomide survivor and I was shocked that US survivors couldn't find each other until 2020. What a shame!
I had always been under the impression that no one in the U.S. had been affected by Thalidomide- That the FDA had realized it was a dangerous drug and never approved it for use here. Why did they lie!? Where does this suit stand now?
Where we stand now is retelling the historical account, and approaching our members of Congress to help us right the wrong that was done so many years ago. Individuals who need help today could use an assistance fund and we do not think that is too big of an ask. We are going to go for it and we hope that our fellow Americans will stand with us!
I am an unreported Thalidomide child. My Dad (now 88 yo), just decided to tell me my mother took Thalidomide beginning in October 1961. I was born in May 1962 with only nubs for fingers. I was told, “you have a birth defect and we don’t know why.” My mother died when I was a child; But my Dad knew all along and never told me.
I was born in July 1962 blind in my right eye and with autism. My parents didn't tell me anything either. They were one of the first 6 cases awarded an out of court, non-disclosed settlement by the Richardson-Merril pharmaceutical company. The law office that handled the settlement was Craig Spangenberg's law office out of Cleveland, Ohio. Hence, the reason I was never told was because they were paid a lot more money to keep me ignorant of the origin of my condition. They also received a huge chunk of money when my father turned over my birth records to Spangenberg's office in 1970, which were subsequently destroyed.
Christine was one of my best friends. A remarkable person, as well as her husband Jeff. This is an important documentary and a story that needs to be shared widely. Thank you all who participated by sharing your stories, thank you for your valiant work and advocacy. May we get to a place of recognition and reparations for all who have suffered and never repeat this terrible chapter in our medical history.
This post is just brilliant! I am still thoroughly disgusted by this huge LIE. I was born in 1961, and as a child, heard about thalidomide babies. I am just so angry and heartbroken about how these precious sweet children were denied. God Bless everyone involved, forever.
I am 69, and I remember when I was 6 years old, my mom telling me about "Thalidomide " babies I lived in Ohio. I never forgot it and because of hearing that at an early age I never blindly trusted doctors or the FDA. When this last debacle took place I filtered the "solution " thru my early knowledge and so glad to have escaped the injuries and deaths due to the "solution". The government has not acknowledged the thousands injured recently so I'm sure they will continue to sweep your injuries under the rug unles there is a strong outcry from the public. I'm glad you have met each other. There are others who know about you and care how you are neglected. I pray this country's government will stop neglecting you. I will share this video with as many ignorant, uninformed people as I can.
After watching this wow guys I truly now do not feel alone when she said science project I started crying real life I always felt like a science project and now that I do not feel that I had to go through it alone😢 thank you so much for sharing everything this right here makes me feel like I belong to
I remember from around age 3 thru 5 I thought similarly. Like I was an experiment to see how much I could take. Knowing it wasn't fair, I just couldn't do and enjoy what siblings did and never would. Add the achs and pains and struggles to do what I could.
My info I found... America kept giving thalidomide, even after the rest of the world declared it harmful causes disability in 60s. Then America supposedly stopped. In the 80s they claimed they revamped it. And again was given for morning sickness. The children still had birth defects. And they claimed to stop giving it.. AGAIN Did they ever stop? Or was it just marketed different? They do NOT put ALL ingredients on labels.. Or they're legally disguised in the different wording. In the 80s the club fingers, possibly clef palates were more prevalent The children hospitals are thriving with these same issues in 2023!!!!!
It's unfortunate what pharmaceutical companies do to make money; in fact, it's sickening. I believe America's pharmaceutical companies are evil, and the doctors are merely puppets who tell you to take this "simple" pill, assuring you that it will solve your problems. However, they are unaware of the potential long-term effects on mental and physical health, similar to the thalidomide pill incident. I strongly encourage people to watch this documentary about thalidomide survivors, as it sheds light on the issues at hand.
