No Limits: The Thalidomide Justice Quest - Real Families 

The summer of 1982 I was 6 months pregnant, my husband came home early from work crying. He threw an article down on the table and told me to read it. The article's title was "The Benedictine Scare" and showed a baby with no arms or legs....Apparently, Merrell and Dow changed one ingredient in thalidomide and put it back on the market as "Benedictine" in 1978. I got the prescription bottle of Benedictine out, and read to my husband "Quantity 20", I then poured them out and counted all 20 of them....I told him I had not taken any of them, I ate crackers and drank tea instead....He cried in relief....I am surprised there was no mention of this and how sneaky these companies are in the documentary.......The Benedictine was pulled in 1983....My daughter is a triathlete and travels the world.

my husband was born in 1959. He had three older siblings which each pregnancy my mother in law had pretty bad morning sickness... she heard about this drug and asked the doctor for it... He looked at it and said no.. not at all from me I am positive it will hurt your baby and maybe you, I can't prove it but I feel strongly and have looked into it heavily, I am being offered money to prescribe it and I would rather stop practicing medicine and do anything else before I will ever prescribe it... She is 88 years old now and still talks about it today... she feels blessed she simply had the right doctor.

My first wife Elfriede was born in Germany with a missing left for-arm due to the medicine taken by her mother. Elfriede was an absolute Saint. She died July 5, 2004.

No matter how disabled a child is he or she deserves to live & be loved.

My mother was offered Thalidomide while she was carrying me. She said, no, thank you. God bless my Mom.

Wow. The woman in the US who fought against the drug companies to stop this drug from entering the market is the true definition of a heroine. God bless her.

I had a math teacher on my German high school, whose mother had taken Contergan while carrying her. Even though she was missing both upper and lower arm parts (meaning her hands started right at her shoulders, missing a few fingers, and if I remember correctly her spine was missing 2 invertebral discs, which put a lot of strain on her back) she never let it hold her back. The school had a modified blackboard that she could control with her feet and she just stood really close to it and wrote on there with her fingers gripping the chalk. Sometimes some chalk would get on her shirt and she'd joke about it and she also was very open to us about her disability. She let nothing hold herself back, and as far as I know she is still happily married with kids. And she was the best math teacher I had and I managed the best marks of my short-lived math career in the years I had her as my teacher, still to this day I have the deepest respect for her and think of her fondly.

15:05 When the lady said no one said anything when the baby was born, "it was loud silence" what a great way to explain it. I felt that

My mother was offered Thalidomide when she was expecting me but decided against it.Thanks Mum.

"ignored early warning signs." That's what cuts so deeply. They knew early on and didn't care.

Bless this elderly couple who took the place in raising a child/person who has so many challenges. They had raised their own children and could have decided to retire of that, but they stepped up and gave her the best life she could have. This is very selfless and is a perfect example of service and love.

My mother was offered this drug with her second pregnancy in 1962, but she refused believing that "no drug is safe in the first 3 months after getting pregnant" (first Trimester). How right she was!

This is the sort of thing that ought to be taught in history classes.

Wow I didn’t realise the first baby was born affected by the drug in the 50’s . I was born September 1961 . My mother was offered it for morning sickness but my father told her not to take it . His reasoning ... you’re not the first woman to have morning sickness you won’t be the last ! Don’t you just love him 🤷‍♀️ thanks to my chauvinistic father I was spared this awful negligence .

I'm an 18 year old brazilian and it's baffling how I've never heard of this. Makes me wonder about how many things from today's time will be forgotten or misremembered in the future, or even, how many harmful things we are living with today, that will only be discovered some years or decades down the line.

Me and my brother are both disabled (genetic condition) and found out just a decade ago that we had a disabled relative who was put in a home straight from birth. Noone in our family or any of our relatives knew about her, and her parents had never said anything. We only found out she existed when she died, she spent almost 70 years completely alone with strangers because her parents didn’t want anyone to know they had a disabled baby. Stories like these really hurt when you are disabled yourself, I’m so lucky to have had amazing parents.

‘You don’t have to have arms to be a father, and unfortunately a lot of fathers with arms forget that’ 😭😭😭 he seems like such a good dad!

The CEOs of these plant should have been charged with Crimes against Humanity...its unbelievable how many babies had to be hurt in the wake of greed

My neighbor was the mother of one of these babies. Despite all the handicaps her daughter endured, I thank God she was born! She was the sweetest, kindest most loving little girl I ever met. "Donna" was one in a million and I loved her dearly. Her mother would never have taken Thalidomide had she known what the results would be, but her daughter was the best person I ever knew. I don't know if she's still alive, but I just wanted to say, Donna, thank you for babysitting me and singing to me when I was lonely. I love you like a sister.

Did not search for this but recommended on RU-vid, I don't even know what is thalidomide before. Thanks too RU-vid I have learnt a great lesson

Day 4 of being quarantined and i somehow ended up here ... Anyone else?

My grandmother took Thalidomide during her pregnancy with my mother, who was born with one short arm with three fingers. She had a rough childhood, being picked on a lot. When she became an adult, she has never let it slow her down or stop her. She is one of the strongest most stubborn women I’ve ever known. ❤️💕😊

Oh my dear God, I just can't even begin to imagine the guilt the mother's that took this drug, must feel. Every second of every day would haunt me! It's not their fault. But im a mother and can understand where they would blame themselves. My heart aches for them and what they must have felt and been through!

I had one of these children for a Teacher in high school and despite her arms she lived a very full life. If it were my child, I would have loved the baby even more.. I can't comprehend how these children were abandoned and so unwanted...

The love of money is the most terrifying monster in the world.

God bless the lady who refused to allow thalidomide in the US.

My mother has always been a stubborn gal, and steadfastly refused to take this drug for the severe morning sickness she was having while pregnant with me. She is 85 and takes NO meds. I went to school with a girl born with no arms...I had all my limbs. Thanks Mom❤️

My mom miscarried in 1953 and was given thalidomide and then she got pregnant with me. She told me when i was young that i would need to keep an eye on my thyroid because of it. One thing i do see is that the right side of my face is lower than the other...i see it could have been catastrophic! Bless you Dr. Frances❣️

Imagine being completely sound of mind but being locked away in an institution away from your family because your limbs look different?! I just can't.

I can’t imagine not loving a child just because they didn’t have arms or legs :(

During my first pregnancy I became obsessed with this. It was the horror I woke up to in the middle of the night. These people were meant to have arms and legs like the rest of us!

I love the man who became a director and bought a castle!! He’s so real about the feelings and wanting revenge for the horrid deaths and disabilities they caused all those babies

I’m going to ask my English teacher if I can write a paper on this for extra credit. This NEEDS to be talked about more.

This story is just so sad. Horrible companies and people who never took action to investigate right away, then continued to keep up the sham.

I have never forgotten my little best friend called Emma when we were about 5 yrs old and my mother told me later I was extremely protective of her.. She was a thalodomide baby in 1965 when I knew her. Ive often wondered where she is and what became of her. When you are pregnant, do not take chemicals.. For generations our grandmothers n great grandmother's had natural foods, did their house work and rested and delivered at home. Todays world is just about money and deadly chemicals prescribed by the docs with no mention of the side effects. Carry your baby eating healthy, walk and do light work and rest when your body tells you to. Think positive... Stay off chemicals, cigarettes, drinks and drugs.🙏🙏

That spoon wheel contraption was GENIUS

My cousin is a thalidomide baby. She had one leg affected, and she is a prized member of our family. I can't imagine other families not feeling the same about their beautiful babies. Different or not, all children are beautiful and a gift.

That doctor was a terrible person to tell her to get another kid and forget about her baby 😔

Every time I hear the phrase ‘trust the science’ this is what comes to mind for me. If we all ‘trusted the science’ and didn’t question anything, this would be the future of over half the world right now. So sad that this happened to these people 😞

A perfect example of a drug being approved even after the pharmacy company knew there was problems. Don't for a moment think anything has changed. It's all about money. I have a question... What drug has recently been given the ok to use on an emergency basis and has caused as much controversy in the past year as thalidomide did for almost 20 years?

"Just get another child. Throw it away." I immediately started to cry. That is a horrifying sentence.

My grandmother told me about this. She said she was glad she was poor enough not to be able to take meds like this.

My grandmother is in her 80s and told me about this. Absolutely sickening. This is why we should always question science and not believe everything we're told.

Dr. Francis Kelsey thank you for your actions Rest in peace

24:04 Dr Frances Kelsey is a hero. She saved several thousand American families from this stupid drug. She passed in 2015 at 101 years old. What a lady

I'm 26. I've never even heard about any of this before. Thank you for making this film so the younger generation like myself can know about the horrors of what happened to these victims.

That is the best statement i have heard in years. 'if they have a problem with the fact that I have short arms that's their problem not mine'

I was conceived in 1962, my mum was offered this drug, she refused it. I am so happy she did. Bless her.

There was a man who came to my state who had no arms from thalidomide. He became a very skilled guitar player and came to my middle school when I was a kid. He talked to us about never giving up and finding our own gifts and doing our best. Then He played a concert for us-with his feet. And it was incredible to see. His stage name? “Toe Jam” 🤣 He also apparently had a great sense of humor. He made his living touring and giving inspirational talks to kids and adults alike. His real name was Tony Melendez. Think he still tours. Great guitar player, GREAT person 👍

My dad is a thalidomide baby and I can’t imagine my life as him with normal arms. My grandpa and great grandpa were both doctors and prescribed my grandma a small amount before they realized the consequences but she knew everything would be okay, and she was right. He is an amazing human being and a successful man who doesn’t see himself as disabled and neither do I. I’ve learned a lot from him and love him dearly. I never knew how many children were killed because of it but I also didn’t realize the amount of successful and amazing people who were affected

starting at 14:00 , the happy baby montage :D with love and care, everyone can thrive, i wish more people understood that the disabled and ill are people too and deserve the same liberties as the average person without a handicap!!!

This dude is playing drums with his feet and I'm still struggling to get a good knot when tying my shoe after 38 years of practice.

Things like this make me understand why they tell pregnant women to avoid so many things. It can feel very restrictive at times, but I would rather restrict than accidentally harm myself or child.

My dad was born with only 3 fingers on his right hand. He is so embarrassed about it. I’ve never noticed it really. He’s just my dad.

the fact no one is talking about Louise should be a crime. She was rejected by her family and her peers, used for publicity, used for her body, and yet she lives happily.

Heartbreaking, but man, i cried with joy when i saw that legless baby dancing around. :D Life is an awesome force. Legs or no legs.

“You don’t need arms to be a father. You don’t need arms to love him. You don’t need arms to be there. You don’t need arms to listen.” These words touched me the most. What a beautiful man and his children are so, SO lucky!

I was born in 1961. Mum my was prescribed Thalidomide for morning sickness but my dad was suspicious of the drug and ripped the prescription up in front of her.

I really love the first mom. You can tell she loves her son unconditionally

14:04 this makes me happy, knowing people actually care, everyone deserve to be happy

The baby dancing was the cutest thing I ever seen lol

I grew up with a girl whose mother took thalidomide. Could have happened to any of us. We kids didn't care that she had no arms. To us, she was just Claire.

My mother is a thalidomide... She went to my senior school to educate people as I was badly bullied at school... Nothing has stopped my mother from doing anything infact sh does more than me

I just found out today while relating this topic to my pharmacology class notes, that my fathers mother was offered this drug. She didn't take it, as she also didn't do a myriad of other things during her pregnancy. But it's really scary to think about what could have happened to him as a child born to a single mother on welfare in the late 50s early 60s with this condition. Right now I'm thinking about all those unmentioned people who didn't have beautiful family's or communities to support them through their condition 💔

The difference in hearing the one girls siblings being so cruel to her and then the home videos of the next man with his siblings being so accepting. That hurt me for her

My Mother couldn't take that medicine because my parents could not afford it. I am the youngest at 1958 my sibling could have been born disfigured.

I cried when I read about the amount of babies that were given up for care. Not only were these people completely let down by an evil company and were deformed for life, they had to live with the fact that they were too much for their families to handle. Feelings of resentment and 'what could have been?' When I am in my later 20s and am in a better situation in life I am adopting children, disabled or abled. Every child deserves parents no matter how 'imperfect' they are.

These people are absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing all of their stories. Alvin is an absolute gem, and I had actually heard of Louise's father- I had heard that his activism was responsible for getting the UK's thalidomide children compensation, but I did not know that he had put his child in such an awful, traumatizing situation. I am so sorry for what she went through, and she was an amazingly strong woman.

When my Mum was pregnant with me she suffered from morning sickness, she was offered Distaval and was grateful that something could be done for the excessive vomiting which was exhausting her. She opened the packet and was reading the instructions when she heard her own mother talking (she wasn't long dead)) She distinctly heard her voice saying "Never take medicine when you're pregnant" She spun around expecting to see her Mum but of course, there was nobody there. Anyway, she was so disturbed by the message that she flushed the tablets down the loo, thinking she was hearing things. Suffice to say, the message from my dead grandmother gave me a very different life from how it could have been.

The dancing baby was so sweet. His siblings look like they loved him very much. What a sweet home movie

THEY should be charged with crimes against humanity!! And brought to justice

These devoted parents warmed my heart.

I *sort of* understand it was a different time.. but I couldn’t imagine not loving my baby because it didn’t have arms or legs.

I was the Aunt of a young nephew who was born with deformed legs, from . my sister taking Tholidomide. He had his legs amputated below the knees and was fitted with artificial legs at age 18 months. He just passed away on New year's day from a heart attach. He was 55years old. He was a brilliant artist and has written 3 children's books. We miss him greatly.

Thank goodness we don’t approve drugs or encourage people to take them without long, sophisticated drug trials nowadays. 😂😂😂

I was born in the late 50's and am a Thalidomide baby. My deformity is I have no frontal, sphenoid or ethmoid sinuses. My maxillary sinuses are ultra small. Of course this leads to all kinds of nasal infection issues in the nasal ducts, etc. I consider myself so very fortunate it didn't effect the development of my limbs more than my arms are a bit shorter than normal & my little toes are sideways.

RU-vid recommendations strikes again with a 1 hour 18 minutes video Did I watch it all? You bet.

I remember my mom talking about Thalidomide and the terrible results growing up, but this video really cleared alot of questions I had. Wish it was taught in school, the human body is a remarkable gift that we should not take for granted. It disgusts me how selfish people can be because of the love of money. My heart breaks for the victims and the families.

I'm so proud and in awe of Ms. Louise. I see the sadness but I see so much strength and a sweet spirit. Everyone is amazing.

I can’t believe I’m learning about this just now! Shame on our education system

My mother and her doctor discussed my mother taking this drug when she was pregnant with me, but they decided against it because her symptoms weren't that bad. I was born in 1960. I've always felt I dodged a bullet.

We need more Dr. Kelsey's in our world right now!!!!

I thank God for this documentary, this shows the absolute compassion that people have, the utmost resilience and character that these people have built is inspiring to say the least

💔 it’s 2020 & I feel uneducated.... this was not talked about in school

I have short arms. My Mother took the drug when she was five months pregnant with me. I was not able to have children of my own and have yet to be compensated. At least I still have a brain!

My cousin was a thalidomide baby. She was born with her internal organs outside of her body, deformaty of her sinuses and nasal passages and other medical issues and one of her legs was very short. She was lucky, they were able to make repairs and modification when she was a baby. With her prosthetics leg she got along very well.

Thank you for everything you did to fight for the children, Dr. Frances Kelsey!

I love the parents who don't make their children feel like they're handicapped.

You know, I love that they expose the name of these brands.

14:01 the following footage of him dancing warms my heart SO MUCHH omgggg what a happy jiggly sunny child i love this video sm !!!

Medicine aside, who could reject their own flesh and blood in such a cruel manner? Shows the true character of the parents.

I can't believe she was told that "she should just get another baby" by a doctor, that's just disgusting

If it wasn't for the young woman saying NO to the company in the US, half of my family could have been thalidomide victims. So MANY people in the US could have been victims of thalidomide.

Wow, Well done. I remember clearly about Thalidomide , I had never forgotten what it did. I am 74 years old so it happen in my time and the damage it did to people has always stuck in my mind.

My uncle has a child with a birth defect and when his wife was pregnant with her the doctors seeing she was going to be "disabled" offered my aunt and uncle to do an abortion, obviously they said no and she is the brightest sweetest kindest child you will ever meet.

"You don't need arms to be a father at all. Unfortunately, too many fathers that have arms don't realize that." 1:01:54

I have a lot of respect to the parents admitting that they were horrified

Thank you Dr. Kelsey !!!!! ❤️ You saved so many lives and generations of people!

When I start my training as a nurse in the disability. I was aware of the blindness that this drug had caused. I was is working in a specific disability centre. This centre provided the right resources for the clients to move around this centre to know where they were. Such as tactical boards and training to communicate. We were taught sign language weekly. This helped with communication and trust to better help the client. I'm am very grateful to have been shown this way as I have used this with my further knowledge in my ongoing nursing experience.

I am a 43 year old woman who has never heard of this ever. What the heck, this most definitely needs to be in textbooks this needs to be taught in school this is a history that I never even knew existed. And any parent that takes a life of an infant it's not a parent of any kind and does not deserve any children!