Testimony by Debbie Grater
My name is Debra Grater and I live in Pennsylvania with
my husband and two children. I was a child care provider with a great love for children
when I was accused and criminally prosecuted for alleged Shaken Baby Syndrome. I
am innocent and have always maintained my innocence . That is the day my life and
the lives of those I loved changed forever and this is my story.
It was December 15,
2000 a normal babysitting day for me until approximately 3:30 p.m. when I was catapulted
into the world of false allegations. I had been caring for a 4-month old boy for
nine days and on the tenth day he was taken to his pediatrician for a Well-Baby-Check
where he was vaccinated with the DTaP, Hibiter, Hepatitis, Polio and the Prevnar.
He was dropped off at my home at approximately 10:00 a.m. by his mother. I checked
on him regularly and he seemed fine until around 3:30 p.m. when I found him unresponsive
and barely breathing.
I called 911 and even did mouth to mouth on him at one point
because he stopped breathing altogether. The hospitals he was taken to concluded
his injuries were consistent with Child Abuse/ Shaken Baby Syndrome. I was in shock.
I
was viciously interrogated for three and a half hours by police and was arrested
on charges of Shaken Baby Syndrome. I was out on bail after being placed in an "involuntary"
medical hospital for a "psychiatric evaluation".
Upon my release I began to research
this so called "Shaken Baby Syndrome" and found out that many times over these adverse
reactions to the vaccines were being misdiagnosed as Shaken Baby Syndrome and that
SBS is only a theory and never proven to be a truly understood entity. By researching
the medical journals it was clear that the experts in the field could not even agree
on what SBS actually is ! Even more shocking was that I discovered many Adverse Reactions
to routine Vaccinations were able to mimic what is thought to be SBS. Upon further
researching Vaccines I was shocked to see that Tens of Thousands of Children are
damaged and even killed by vaccines. I had always thought vaccines were safe.
I found
that the ingredients in vaccines were nothing more than a witches brew of animal
blood, toxic metals, neurotoxins, viruses, bacteria, and even pesticides! Yes Pesticide.
Thimerosal, a common ingredient in many vaccines is a registered pesticide with the
Environmental Protection Agency. (EPA) Thimerosal is nearly 50% mercury as well and,
that a routine "Well-Baby-Visit" can see a child get injected with up to 62.5 mcgs
of Mercury! The EPA guidelines for acceptable Mercury exposure are 0.1 mcgs. of mercury
per kilogram of body weight per day. The child in my case was given over 40 times
the "safe" amount in matter of minutes-directly into his bloodstream and shortly
before he was dropped off at my home.
As well, this child had had an indication of possible neurological conditions as
his head size was abnormally large. The Physicians Desk Reference clearly states
" that any child with an underlying neurological condition SHOULD NOT BE VACCINATED."
Even
healthy children can have adverse reactions to vaccines and my son and daughter are
perfect examples of that. In March of 1997 at age 6 months my son started with episodes
of vomiting and diarrhoea and had poor weight gain. At 9 months he was on the 5%
on the weight chart. Then in November of 1997 at almost 17 months it was noted that
since 9 months he had lost 1-2 pounds and had more episodes of vomiting and diarrhoea.
Well at 6 months he was vaccinated then again at 9 months . He received the HepB
and Varicella at 12 months and the MMR and Hib at 15 months. The doctors say it was
lactose intolerance and Failure To Thrive but I feel now it was the vaccines that
did it just look at the pattern. If only I knew then what I know now.
In January of
2001 my daughter was given the Polio, Prevnar and Varicella shots and then in April
of 2001 she was given the MMR, Hibiter and the Prevnar. Both times she developed
a high fever of 104.6 and went into hypo-tonic/hypo-responsive episodes. She would
not walk, talk, eat, drink or play. She laid around like a rag doll. I voiced my
concerns to the pediatrician and they said "we do not usually see that happen" and
brushed it off. When I refused more shots for my children I was dismissed from their
practice and told to secure medical care elsewhere. Oddly my children are healthier
now than they were when they were getting the shots.
Vaccines carry serious and sometimes
fatal consequences and people need to know this so they can truly make an informed
choice. They also need to know what to do to avoid legal pitfalls in choosing what
gets put into their bodies or their children's body. No one can force you to do anything
you do not want to do.
I was left no choice but to take a plea agreement of no contest
as I could have faced up to 15 years in prison in the aforementioned case. I chose
not to risk what a jury would decide as most people (like myself at one time ) believed
vaccines were safe. I chose to secure that my children would grow up with their mother.
I chose so I would not go to prison innocently, to accept a "NO CONTEST" plea. I
am slowly picking up the pieces and moving on. I maintain my innocence and plan to
make a difference by raising awareness. The system needs help and parents/caretakers
need to be informed. In my case I believe this child was damaged by vaccines, and
so did some doctors. If you would like to know more about my case you can contact
me at : debbiehaven@msn.com
Sincerely,
Debbie Grater
www.slimeylimeyjustice.org