Gretchen H. Thompson told Syracuse.com that this coming school year, her three youngest children would not be attending school in New York due to a recent change in religious exemption from school vaccinations.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer, I’m an ex-vaxxer,” she said.
According to the website, both she and her husband, as well as the couple’s two oldest children are vaccinated. However, it was after her oldest son became sick after receiving the HPV vaccine that she began to question their safety.
Her son was reportedly hospitalized for 31 days with autoimmune encephalitis, a rare brain inflammation. The cause of most cases is unknown, though a certain type of tumor, the presence of cancer in the body, and exposure to common bacteria and viruses have been known to trigger the autoimmune condition.
Thompson also makes sure her family lives a natural life by eating organic products.
Thompson plans on homeschooling her children.
For the upcoming school year, Thompson, who is a dental hygienist, will cut back her work schedule and home school her children. When she’s at work, a babysitter will watch her children. She estimated a babysitter will cost $11,000 for a year, which is about the same the family would pay for the children’s private school tuition.
“I never thought in a million years I would home school,” she said.
And that’s why the family plans on moving, hopefully to Texas, within a year. Texas is one of only a few states that allows parents to get their child an exemption based on “reasons of conscience.”
The Thompson family stand by their beliefs.
“We are prepared to sell everything we have and move out of state so that our healthy children can attend school without vaccines.”
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