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WILKIE - There are times when I have trouble finding a topic to write about. I try to write a column I hope readers find interesting and thought provoking. I have decided to write a letter to parents.

Dear Parents:

I have listened, watched and wondered why, as some parents have decided not to get vaccinations for COVID-19 and have not allowed their children 12 years and up to get the vaccine. It is so bizarre.

As a parent of three and grandmother of three, I would move heaven and Earth to keep them safe. I remember from the moment my husband and I knew we were having a baby that no matter what, we were going to do absolutely everything in our power to keep that most precious little person safe.

The bond between mother and child begins during pregnancy and when the child is born, you hold that baby and realize you have received the most precious gift ever. You hold that baby, look into those eyes and say, "No matter what happens I will keep you safe."

That bond continues as you bring them home, where you have childproofed everything. You have car seats, boosters seats and cribs engineered to ensure no matter what, the baby is safe. You get their needles for polio, measles, whooping cough, mumps, diphtheria and tetanus, so they will not get those horrible and life-threatening illnesses. You take them to a doctor you trust to give them the stitches they may need, medications if sick, take out their tonsils or fix broken bones. You make sure the buggies and strollers, the tricycles with training wheels and bikes and helmets are safe. You are keeping the promise you made the minute they were born; that no matter what you would keep them safe.

Then came the pandemic and COVID-19. Of course, you are afraid. Everyone is afraid. People are dying. People you know are getting extremely ill and the recovery is extremely slow. Then comes the vaccines. These vaccines were not made in the past 18 months. The mRNA vaccines do not use a live virus to trigger an immune response. Instead, they teach cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response, which in turn will trigger the body to make antibiotics to fight the virus. mRNA is not new. Scientists who have degrees from creditable universities and research centres have been working on this over the past 15 years.

Just like parents who, over the years learned, certain car seats, helmets and so many other safety measures have improved and made it safer for your child, this is what the vaccine does.

So, we arrive at a time when cases are exploding. The majority of those in ICUs are unvaccinated. There are so many children 12 and under who are not able to be vaccinated yet who are sick. And the saddest part is the majority are coming from homes with parents who decided it was not necessary to protect their children anymore. Their job was done.

I can tell you, as the mother of children from ages 45 to 52 years old, your job to protect your children never ends.

One the other side of the coin are the parents of children who do not have COVID-19, but have cancer, need an organ transplant, need an operation ‑ the list is long. They are not getting the necessary treatment or operations because one group of parents have decided their job to protect their children is over.

So, so incredibly sad.

#beccatoldmeto