Ezekiel: A Victim of Anti-Vaxxing

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

It is incredibly important for people to take care of themselves. This includes mental health days, eating properly, and getting vaccinated. With the world still wrapped in the topic of vaccines cause various problems, people are exploring other options. Some use herbal remedies, others use healing crystals, and others use maple syrup and water. While I was thankfully vaccinated, I can’t say the same for Ezekiel Stephan.

Ezekiel Stephan, a 19 month old boy in Alberta Canada, died of meningitis by his parents’ “naturopathic remedies”. Meningitis is a vaccine treatable disease, but his parents chose to give him various concoctions including water with maple syrup, olive leaf extract, and a mixture of apple cider vinegar, horse radish root, hot peppers, mashed onion, garlic and ginger root. The parents (David Stephan and Collet Stephan) fed Ezekiel these mixtures as his condition worsened because they refused to vaccinate him due to having a negative experience with the Canadian health system.

This specific experience involved Health Canada attempting to (and failing) stop the distribution of Empowerplus, a mineral and vitamin mixture crafted by David and Collet, the owners of a natural supplements distributor called Truehope. David claimed that Empowerplus could easily manage bi-polarity and used it on Ezekiel to eliminate the meningitis. Health Canada issued warnings regarding Empowerplus because it didn’t have a drug identification number or scientific backing.

The parents have pleaded not guilty in court for neglecting their son and failing to give him the proper medical treatment. They’ve even complained on social media sites about the case and critics preventing them from raising money for their son’s death and their defense through online fundraisers. They’ve also stated that their approach to health should be respected and that they are being unfairly persecuted.

The rumor about vaccines being linked to autism and other health illnesses has been one of the most damaging medical hoaxes in the past 100 years. It has been widely disproved that vaccines do not lead to any of these conditions, yet there are people like David and Collet, who believe otherwise. Frankly it’s a shame that the choices of the parent cause the child to suffer, especially in this case. Should the couple be convicted, they will possibly face five years in prison and the loss of their children. Here’s hoping those other children survive whatever illness comes their way, unlike Ezekiel.

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So tell me, what are your thoughts on vaccines and anti-vaxxers?