16 Weeks and Everything After...

Paul Whymark

Description

At the 16 week foetal stage, Paul Whymark's braindevelopment was frozen as a consequence of the drug, Thalidomide. His journey is one ofconsiderable self discovery, but also reveals greater societal insights. "16 Weeks and Everything After..." uncoversthe remarkable fact that over the last 50-60 years the establishment has failedto genuinely independently review Thalidomide, and as aconsequence, harms on developing life continue to have the potential to occurinto the future. Worse is that the insidious nature of many of theunacknowledged harms of Thalidomide are stillnot related to the drug. Hence such consequences are unrecognised and are atodds with official and textbook accounts even over 50 years on. Therefore, aswell as appealing to general readers and other professionals, this bookurgently needs to be on every medical personnel's (or trainee personnel's)required reading list. Weeks andEverything After manages to communicate the minutia of subtle butall-important detail to uncover a quite different picture to that has beenreported thus far. It has been written in anuplifting and heart-warming way, with the attitude of turning negatives intopositives, but without losing sight of the underlying issues. The author hassought to stand up for his late mother, who like all mothers of children harmedby drugs consumed during pregnancy, carry the resulting additional challenges. This has sustained Paul's drive through the years of both official impasse andlife's ups and downs. The book comprises a set of micro-narratives, but jointogether to reveal a significant personal journey in addition to a much largerand wider untold picture.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Memoir

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 28 mars 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781789010749
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 8 Mo

Extrait

16 Weeks
and
Everything
After






PAUL WHYMARK
Copyright © 2018 Paul Whymark

The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Paul Whymark Photography © / Paul Whymark Photo–Art ©

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

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ISBN 9781789010749

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Typeset in 11.5pt Calibri by Troubador Publishing Ltd, Leicester, UK
The book is produced in a sans serif font to help improve access for people with visual reading challenges.
In an e-book format it may be possible to customize reader interface for text and back ground.

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The ebook has been formatted in 12pt Times New Roman . For readers who prefer reading in a different font, see the settings on your e-reader for the different fonts available.
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For my mother, Margaret 1939 to 2005



And

All mothers given whichever pharmaceutical drug(s) during pregnancy that left their babies harmed or impaired at any level

Photograph: Paul looking after his mother Margaret

If you found information in the book of interest please share; and together we can raise the profile for establishing transparency concerning harms caused by drugs/medication consumed during pregnancy
The Ethos of Paul’s Shed
Appreciate how changing the world starts with bite-size pieces
Go after one piece at a time
Work when and where you can to take things forward
Share with open minded and sincere people, they need you also
Always operate with fairness and consideration
No political management speak in the shed, there’s no space
Generate new ideas by finding answers to questions not yet asked
Stimulate by contact with nature and the environment
Aim for simplicity in outcome and process
Evaluate and rethink if needed, but never give up
Eventually your time will come



(Photography support: Mark & Julie shed provision).
16 Weeks and Everything After...” ©
Or alternatively
“Information you always had the right to know about Thalidomide, but were not previously informed”

Written in accordance with The Ethos of Paul’s Shed


An unstoppable force of nature


“The pen is mightier than the sword”
Edward G. Bulwer–Lytton (1839)

“Photography with word processing
(plus spell-check) is a good alternative”
Paul (2014)
Contents


Wholesome contents are essential for the next generation
Acknowledgments and Appreciation
Foreword
Introduction

Part I The Conscious Informs the Subconscious
“Your Hands and Your Feet!”
Rebuilding Noah’s Ark on a Coastal Footpath
Growing Concerns

Part II Deeper Realisations
In the Deep End and Tri-ing new things
Dairy or Diary?
Mapping Connections by Connection Mapping
Chasing Dragonflies and a Trip Back to 1968/ 69
Unanswered Questions in Australia

Part III A Greater and Wider Awareness
Joining up Unseen Dots…
A Phone Call for Help out of a National Park
Notable Connections at Aberdeen
Life is Stranger than Fiction
A Bolt out of a Blue Sky

Part IV Shining Daylight into Some Very Dark Corners
Finally Coming Home Via Hollywood and Colorado
Nature Never Hides or Misrepresents Anything
A Corporate Garden Path
Some Help from April fools

Part V Turning Negatives into Positives
A Heroine, plus Betsy Andreu’s good example
A Zeitgeist Lens for Action
Knowledge Sharing
C. S. R. – Having Cake and Eating It?
The Road Ahead…

Post Script and Authors Note
Appendix
Information Materials, Bibliography and References
Acknowledgments and Appreciation


Good things can and do happen
The Field Studies Council (F.S.C.) at Preston Montford provided transferable input from environmental and ecological education. The concept of producing a book emerged during a conversation with Andrea McNichol in 2013. Support and feedback came from many other people along the way and included; Ross and Bill Shell, Philip Taylor, Mark and Jenni Duffel, David and Jennifer Veale plus family, Denise Murray–Mason along with her family and wider social community. At various times and levels a range of further editing assistance/ contributions came from: Guy Woodford a Malvern Sculptor, Malvern Writers Circle (founded in 1948), especially Linda Edkins Blackett and John Xzavian; Editor and Ecologist, Alex Morss, plus Rita Carter of Oxford Editors. Literary agent Kizzy Thomson offered feedback and helpful publishing suggestions, and others also provided general assistance.
The key information was shared by my mother, Margaret, and is central to the underlying quest of “16 Weeks and Everything After...”©. Thanks to all, Paul.
Foreword
This book “16 Weeks and Everything After...”© is written from the perspective of all Thalidomide survivors, and of survivors of other drugs that may have harmed developing human life during pregnancy. This is regardless of whether or not people have been recognised and acknowledged as being harmed by Thalidomide or another drug . The full extent and range of harms caused by Thalidomide goes far further than has previously been officially accepted, and this maybe the case for other drugs also. All the same “16 Weeks and Everything After...”© considers all Thalidomide and all other pregnancy drug survivors equal in human terms.
My journey of self-discovery, discovery and wider societal illumination is part of the legacy of all Thalidomide survivors, and also survivors of all other drugs that may have caused harm in pregnancy. We all have the right to have a voice, and to establish full transparency concerning safety of all drugs consumed during pregnancy, both old and new. In addition it is right to speak up to prevent future drug harms being inflicted in the most vulnerable and defenceless stages of human life.
Introduction
In the mid to late 1950’s a German drug company Chemie Grünenthal, developed the drug Thalidomide for the consumer market. Grünenthal sold their active ingredient Thalidomide to other drug companies that used it to produce a range of Thalidomide products in various forms including; capsules, tablets and syrup solutions. In the UK, Distillers Company Bio-chemicals Ltd (a subsidiary of the Distillers Company Ltd) used Thalidomide procured from Grünenthal in an assortment of products including Distaval, Distaval Forte, Valgraine, Asmaval, Tensival and others.
Thalidomide was a drug looking for a purpose, not the other way around. It started use as a sedative, and then moved to psychiatric medicine for anxiety and mild depression. From there it soon became used for many other medical purposes. Notably this included use for morning sickness, despite woefully inadequate testing for risks of harm to the unborn. Thalidomide was promoted as “atoxic” and “completely safe” , to the extent it was claimed it was impossible to overdose. These assurances were totally false, as the drug could and did produce serious side effects in healthy adults, while in developing babies it left a wide range of harms and malformations; many of which have still not been officially recognised, acknowledged or in many cases even perceived as possible until considering the information in this book.
By the early 1960’s some in the medical profession began to have serious concerns, in relation to a troubling increase in the numbers of babies being born, with significantly reduced and damaged limbs. It gradually became evident the rise in such cases were due to consuming the drug Thalidomide during pregnancy.
Around 1962 Thalidomide began to no longer be recommended for use during early pregnancy. Although a great deal of controversy continued as to what constituted Thalidomide harms and injuries. The Thalidomide drug companies, notably Grünenthal and Distillers Company (Bio-Chemicals) Ltd, then engaged in hostile rancorous and protracted standoffs, against a limited number of families who struggled to pursue legal action.
Meanwhile governments passively stood back and did little or nothing. Poor enforcement of existing regulations continued, while it was years before other regulations improved. Testing on Thalidomide to establish what and if any limits of harm existed, was not adequately conducted or co-ordinated.
Social injustice continued with people affected by Thalidomide then being suppressed by corporate might and government inaction. As a result not all the issues were satisfactorily aired, and much less dealt with. This was both despite and in part due to restrictions that limited reporting of in