US Thalidomide Survivors
Most people believe no "thalidomide babies" were born in the U.S. Learn the TruthHow 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. FDA records obtained by a survivor in 2012 suggest that dozens or hundreds of babies were never identified or officially counted.
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.
We have reasons to believe there were many more. Random House will release a new book in 2020 with the previously unpublished details and suspicions raised by the original FDA investigation.
A few of approximately 60 Members we have located since 2016
Gwen: born in Ohio in 1962
JoJo: born in New York in 1962
Jean: born in Ohio in 1962
Carolyn: born in Minnesota in 1962
Darren: born in Missouri in 1962
Kim: Born in Pennsylvania in 1959
Latest News
New York Times Story Features US Thalidomide Survivors
A March 24 2020 New York Times story features thalidomide survivors in the United States and their journey for recognition and justice.
New Random House Book to Reveal the True Story of Thalidomide in the U.S.
Coming soon, from Random House, “The Gatekeeper” an award-winning investigative book about the thalidomide scandal of the 1960s by Jennifer Vanderbes.
MERMAID A Memoir of Resilience: Washington Post Review
Read the Washington Post review of MERMAID A Memoir of Resistance
MERMAID named a Best Memoir by Oprah’s Book Club
MERMAID A Memoir of Resilience, written by Eileen Cronin, a member of US Thalidomide Survivors, has been named a Best Memoir by Oprah’s Book Club.
From Our Blog
Finding Our Tribe: Thalidomide Survivors
Before the gathering of US thalidomide survivors, I expected there would be many tears as we told our stories. In the end, there was far more laughter than tears.
Normalizing “different”
For more than 45 years I worked hard to hide my physical differences and associated struggles. Each decade became more difficult until I could no longer hide.
Coming Out of the Closet as a Thalidomide Survivor
When I was a child, I knew that having birth defects was a source of shame to your family. But the truth about the cause of my defects was deliberately kept from me.