By Penny Scheenhouwer, Brisbane
Growing up, I had all the recommended vaccinations. My mother never questioned the wisdom of vaccinations, or indeed any other recommended medical tests or treatments of the time, for any of our family.
When I was 18, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this time she started a very different relationship with medicine. She started to look at all the natural and alternative medicines. As she went along this path, she began to dismiss much about conventional medicine and what it had to offer. I watched her go into complete remission (medically stated) using ‘natural’ methods, and I found this very inspirational.
Through this process I began to read many of the books that she had (and she had literally hundreds). I too began to see things in a ‘different’ way than I had before. Somewhere along the way my mother became anti-vaccination and I too took on her anti-vaccination stance, after reading much of the material that supported that stance.
I decided that the harms of vaccination seemed to far outweigh getting a disease. I came to the decision that if I ever had children, I would not vaccinate them and intentionally put them at risk.
At the age of 35 I had my daughter. Both my husband and I had no intention of vaccinating her, and we did not. Just before her 3rd birthday she contracted chicken pox – a very bad case. From that I began to question whether or not we should have vaccinated her, after the doctor stated that the vaccination may have prevented the disease, or at the very least she would have only had a mild case.
I had met Serge Benhayon a few years previously, at the age of 31. In a conversation with Serge not long after my daughter’s illness, I asked whether we should vaccinate our daughter or not and what his views on vaccination were. His reply was that he could not and would not tell us what to do, but that he knew vaccinations do what they are supposed to do and that all his children had been vaccinated.
Following this, my husband and I talked and decided to vaccinate our daughter. Still caught up in the fear a little, we vaccinated her for everything except MMR (measles, mumps and rubella). Although we vaccinated our daughter, we never took responsibility for our selves and our own health, and did nothing to ensure that our own vaccinations were up to date.
Over time even this attitude has changed. We recently chose to vaccinate our daughter for MMR, as well as travel vaccinations. Not only that, but my husband and I also got all the shots we needed to bring ourselves fully up to date.
If it were not for the support and wise words of Serge Benhayon, offering us a greater perspective upon which to make our decision, my husband and I would never have vaccinated our daughter. We understand now that this put not only her at unnecessary risk of preventable diseases, but also others in the community. Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.
You can read more about Serge Benhayon’s views on vaccination on the blog “Serge Benhayon on vaccination – choice and responsibility”.
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
The purpose of the annual flu vaccinations is to protect people that are vulnerable from deteriorating or becoming very sick. In the past, people have died from certain strains of flu. To have a protected workforce is being responsible to the rest of our patients.
We will never be completed protected, but as Penny already stated, you could get a milder dose of the disease or prevent the disease completely.
It feels how a vaccination affects a person, is a case by case situation. It’s being open to what ever is being offered to or for that person and bringing some understanding that the illness/disease is more than it appears.
I was never anti-vaccination and in retrospect I know they have a purpose behind them. However, I was against the flu vaccine influenced by other people’s negative experiences.
As a health care professional, I work in a high risk area and our policy requests, we receive it otherwise we wear masks during the flu season. So, this year I accepted it, apart from the usual sore arm, I was fine. Did it prevent any colds or others flu’s – no, but I am able to work without having to wear a mask and people can see who I am.
We often blame vaccination for causing this or that, but seldom do we see past this. How we live and are with everything needs to be considered as part of our overall health and wellbeing.
I’m currently in a process of being vaccinated for an allergy, which will take 5 years of me receiving the vaccine once a month. If I hadn’t initiated this process and had another allergic reaction, I would probably pass away. So I gratefully accepted the offering of being vaccinated. However, I made this choice not only for me, as it’s not only my life that would be at risk, but all that I sustain by being here. Although I’m not indispensable, I’m involved in many things that require of my presence to grow, there are lots of connections and relationships coming and expanding because I’m here. Why should I put all of this at risk? When I feel the responsibility that there is behind being vaccinated or not and the impact that this may have around me if I don’t do so, I don’t have any doubt.
At my work place, getting vaccinated is regarded as a duty of care – that even if we did contract the disease, we would know we did the best we could to avoid putting others at risk. And even when many could be reluctant to embrace self-care, being seen as irresponsible is something people want to avoid when they feel duty-bound.
Vaccination is always asking us to look at the bigger picture.
I have found that a lot of people would find reasons – good sounding reasons – not to undertake activities that help society but have a small or very small risk for themselves. They prefer not to take any risks at all and perhaps regardless of the cost to society.
When we look at life and our responsibility of our vehicle in it, there is a purpose to vaccinate.
I had all my vaccinations as a child and teenager, and later as an adult for travel, and apart from a sore arm I never had any major issues with them. Later in life I read some material about their harm and met people claiming their children were affected by vaccinations, which they felt led to autism. Basically no one wants to cause harm to themselves or their children so reading or hearing about potential side effects of vaccinations is disturbing. I then had a conversation with a nurse describing the distress of babies with whooping cough and how it could have been avoided by a vaccination. What I eventually came to is that for me it’s common sense to keep my vaccinations up to date.
I think it’s great how you were open to re-evaluate your stance on vaccinations, following what felt true to you and refining it as well, not from fear but from what truly felt supportive for everyone.
“Our initial choice not to vaccinate was made out of fear, and not wishing to do her harm, but there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.” Absolutely Penny illness and disease spreads quickly and the more we do to protect our children and ourselves the greater protection we are providing for the community we live in too.
‘there is a bigger picture here, one that includes us all.’ … there so is, and it’s one that we can forget when we get caught in our own lives; everything we do impacts all around us so when we consider what we do in anything we need to consider not just us but everyone.
And that makes life much more enjoyable.
Penny, my wife and I had a virtually identical experience with our daughter, reading many books and research papers that were very anti-vaccination and included stories of people being poisoned with compounds that should not be in the vaccines. But after our daughter was about 3 years old (and with the support of fellow students of the Way of the Livingness) we realised that we were placing her and her school mates in a potentially dangerous position that was based on a fear of something happening, even though both my wife and I had all our vaccinations as a kid and nothing horrible had happened to us. What I learned from this was to never make a decision based on fear, for it will always lead you astray.
When someone feels and looks so vital and well, it’s only natural we would want to know how they do what they do, and perhaps take a leaf out of their book and give that a go.
Western medicine is of great value to us as a humanity as it supports our bodies to return to and sustain physical health and well-being. The state of our health and well-being is our responsibility which is not only for ourselves to consider but also the effect this has on the communities we are part of.
Vaccination is not all about us individually but about the broader community.
A great reminder of our responsibility to ourself and the one we hold for humanity as a whole.
Some of the anti-vaccination material I have seen blame vaccinations for other conditions, but then just about everything can be blamed for our ill health. What Serge Benhayon brings in is the self-responsibility factor and that energy is a far bigger player when it comes to the roots of our ill health, if our focus is to be anywhere let it be in the energy.
Thanks Penny I have also experienced how Serge never tells people what to do but will often share what his personal experience is. That sharing is never in a way that says “this is the way” just in the generosity of being very open and with a deep respect that it is up to each person to discern what is true for them. It will not always be the same for everyone as it will depend on their circumstances. As far as vaccinations go personally I have always done them except flu which has never appealed to me!
So true Linda, we need to consider the community as a whole and how we are putting innocent people at risk if we are making a stand that has potential to deeply harm – responsibility is key here.