Had I Known about CMV (cytomegalovirus): From Shock to Law

By Lisa Saunders

The moment my daughter was born in 1989, I felt a stab of fear. My immediate thought was, "Her head looks so small - so deformed." The doctors, concerned as well, took her away for tests. Elizabeth was diagnosed with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). Just before or during my pregnancy, I had contracted CMV and passed it on to her while she was developing, damaging her brain. The neonatologist said, "Your daughter has microcephaly - her brain is very small with calcium deposits throughout. If she lives, she will never roll over, sit up, or feed herself." Pregnant women who have or care for young children are at a higher risk for contracting CMV because the otherwise healthy toddlers can be excreting the virus in their saliva and urine - especially if they are in group care. I felt sick at what my lack of knowledge had done to Elizabeth. I should have been more careful not to share drinks with my own toddler and not try to save time by using diaper wipes to clean saliva off surfaces - I should have disinfected them properly. Shortly after Elizabeth died at age 16, I had a nightmare. Young, angry parents sat around a circle and looked at me. They wondered why I didn't do more to warn them about CMV. My memoir is about how I found joy while raising Elizabeth for 16 years, and how I helped shout CMV from the rooftops after her death in 2006. In my appendix, I include a timeline of major CMV-related events since 1956.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0D64CSTGD
• ISBN13: 9798325919725
• Release Date: June 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 221 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"