Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver

I have a new poetry podcast up on the topic of my case of measles encephalitis, which paralyzed me and almost killed when I was 6 going on 7. I went into a coma, had a near death experience, and recovered my ability to speak but not walk, I defied conventional medical wisdom of the time and taught myself how to walk again at the age of 7.

I include a poem I wrote about my choice to walk again. “Hope Was Not a Loss”, which was named Barista Favorite on Go Dog Go Cafe in February 2018. FREE VERSE REVOLUTION also published this poem in November last year.

I hope this podcast helps raise awareness about the importance of the measles vaccine. There was no measles vaccine in 1957, when I literally fell ill with encephalitis because my legs gave out from under me.

I also address the coronavirus COVID- 19, for which there is no vaccine yet. COVID-19 and measles are dangerous viruses, so we need to make choices that keep our children and other loved ones safe. Not just family, but neighbors and the community, the state, the country, the world. We are all connected. Viruses know no boundaries, as we can see from the spread of this coronavirus as well as from measles. 

The featured image shows me at 5 years  old, unaware that one year later, I would be fighting for my life.

Please take a listen. Then save a life.

https://meelosmom.podbean.com/e/measles-encephalitis-hope-was-not-a-loss/

Sources:

https://www.encephalitis.info/measles-infection-and-encephalitishttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wakefield. Also, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/

If you would like to contribute poetry to this podcast, you may submit it to me in a Word document attached in an email to me at meelosmom@gmail.com. On the subject line, indicate it is a submission to this podcast. I can fit it into a theme. In the email, include any pertinent information on yourself and publications you want me to promote, especially for the work submitted.
©Barbara Leonhard, extraordinarysunshineweaver.blog

©Poetry; The Memoir of the Soul, meelosmom.podbean.com