usats__0005_ Building Community Through Shared Experiences

Come Share the Experience Only We Understand

The One Week Each Year Our Community Comes Together.

A Place to Connect, Share, and Belong

Join us for the 2026 USA Thalidomide Survivors Conference, where survivors, families, and supporters come together to reconnect, share experiences, learn from one another, and build lasting friendships. This year’s gathering also provides an opportunity to stand together as we continue supporting awareness of H.R. 5865 and the future of our community.

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2026 USA Thalidomide Survivor Conference banner with theme "Finishing the Fight - Seeking Action on Bill H.R. 5865" with images of the US Capitol and a 2nd image of USA Thalidomide Survivors in front of Capitol

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BILL NEWS

WE HAVE A BILL! H.R. 5865

Congressman Van Drew kept his word! We have an actual bill, with a number – H.R. 5865, that includes the word “compensation”. No, we didn’t get what we wanted, but the choices were: 1) Wait for a...

CONFERENCE NEWS

2025 USA Thalidomide Survivors’ 6th “Annual” Conference

Our third trip to Washington D.C. this year proved to be the best yet.

LATEST NEWS

Thalidomide Survivor C. Jean Grover in People magazine

Learn more about the American thalidomide...

WONDER DRUG

by: Jennifer Vanderbes

THE SECRET HISTORY OF THALIDOMIDE IN AMERICA AND ITS HIDDEN VICTIMS

Detailing the previously unreported suspicions raised by the original FDA investigation.

Book cover pictures child with curly blonde hair and no arms using her feet to play with a toy. Wonder Drug: The Secret History Of Thalidomide In America And Its Hidden Victims.

How Many Thalidomide babies Were born in the US?

Every source from 1962 through 2019 has quoted an incorrect number of “thalidomide babies” born in the United States.

- The official FDA count released in the 1960s was seventeen thalidomide babies born in the United States.
  - Nine of them were born to mothers who took samples made by American drug companies.
  - Eight other mothers said they obtained the drug in other countries.
- FDA records investigated by journalist Jennifer Vanderbes suggest that dozens of babies were never identified or officially counted.

There were many more…

Watch Our Documentaries

Thalidomide in the USA: the Forgotten Survivors

by: C. Jean Grover Productions

Thalidomide in the USA: Seeking a Life of Dignity and Independence

by: USA Thalidomide Survivors

News and Stories

Different yet the same.

Common Challenges Faced by USA Thalidomide Survivors Imagine; you live in a body that resembles few others. Instead of 10 fingers, you have three. Instead of two legs, you have one and a half. Your congenital uniqueness doesn’t stop there. Your anatomy, arms, legs,...

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Steven Lucier: Thalidomide Strikes Again!

Summer of 1969 and the surgery was done. My first on my left side. The hand surgeon met me near a year prior "one" time. His office with no windows and I knew I had something to offer him. He examined my hand formulating options with the biggest one I didn't...