“WONDER DRUG” LAUNCHED 06/27/2023
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. FDA records investigated by journalist Jennifer Vanderbes suggest that dozens 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.
There were many more. In 2023, Random House released WONDER DRUG: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THALIDOMIDE IN AMERICA AND ITS HIDDEN VICTIMS, detailing the previously unreported suspicions raised by the original FDA investigation.
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Thalidomide in the USA: Seeking a Life of Dignity and Independence
A few of approximately 75 Members we have located since 2016
Bonnie: born in Illinois in 1962
JoJo: born in New York in 1962
Jean: born in Ohio in 1962
Gwen: born in Ohio in 1962
Darren: born in Missouri in 1962
Kim: born in Pennsylvania in 1959
Jan: born in Oklahoma in 1962
Tawana: born in North Carolina in 1963
Gianna: born on a US Military Base in 1962
John: born in Mississippi in 1959
Terrie: born in 1964
Bobbie:
Leslie: born in Maryland, 1959
Marta: born in New York in 1961
Randall: born on a US military base, Madrid, Spain, 1958
Steve: born in New Jersey, 1962
Latest News
USTS to welcome Professor Vargesson as first in our Online Speaker Series
It's time to register for the 1st session of the US Thalidomide Survivors 2020-21 Online Speaker Series! For this 1.5 hour session on 9/19/2020 8:00 AM PDT/11:00 AM EDT/4:00 PM Aberdeen, Scotland Time, we welcome Professor Neil Vargesson. Prof. Vargesson is currently...
Researchers discover a system essential for limb formation during embryonic development
Researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) have discovered a system that provides cells with information about their position within developing organs. This system, studied in developing limbs, tells cells what anatomical structure...
London Times story about US Thalidomide Survivors
The London Times published a story about US Thalidomide Survivors on March 25, 2020
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
From Our Blog
My Life in Shorthand — Chapter 5
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MINISERIES I was excited to move to a new place and happy to be back on an Army Base. I later learned that was probably due to the maturity level of Army Brats as they are lovingly referred to by all. After the miserable year of having only 1/2 of...
My Life in Shorthand — Chapter 4
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MINISERIES My sister was not just 8 years older but she was a TALL teenager. i was 4 feet tall when she was 6 feet tall. She kept me tough by wrestling with me, giving me grief if I ate like a slob, and teased me if i wet my pants. She said "they...
My Life in Shorthand — Chapter 3
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MINISERIES Less than a year after that lonely horrid hospital stay we moved to Massachusettes (from Va.) 1st time we lived off an Army base. We had a super cool kid-friendly house cuz the entire daylight basement was turned into a playhouse for me...