I am not OK because the U.S. is now in the middle of the worst measles outbreak in decades and children have and will continue to die or suffer long-term neurological sequela from this disease that is vaccine-preventable.
[Editor’s Note: The following opinion piece is written by Asheville pediatrician Eleanor Martin.]
Perhaps you know me? I’m your local pediatrician … and I am not OK.
I’ve been practicing with my group since 2008, when I was pregnant with my oldest son (he’s now 17). I’m the one who examined your infant when she was a few hours old and confirmed that indeed she was and is the most perfect and beautiful human being on the planet.
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I’m the one who reassured you when you nervously shared the photo of the weird poop or spit-up or rash or strange thing that your toddler did – because being a parent is terrifying and kids don’t come with instruction manuals.
I’m the one who cheered along with you and wiped away happy tears when you showed me a video of your preschooler dancing to “Gangnam Style,” or your elementary schooler kicking his first goal, or your shy middle-schooler singing a solo, or your high schooler giving a graduation speech — because I know you and your children and I feel honored to have this relationship with you.
And if, like me, you have a medically fragile or special needs child, I’m there with you and celebrating even harder your child’s milestones and accomplishments, whatever they look like. I’m the one who fixes the boo-boos and owies and runny noses and ear infections that as a parent you cannot.
I’m also the one who shares the burden with you when adolescence hits hard and your teen is struggling or you’re dealing with a sudden tragedy and neither you nor your children are okay. I’m the one who’s going to be there, always, to offer unconditional (sometimes tough) love and support to you and your children and to do everything in my power to keep your child healthy.
I became a pediatrician not for fame or glory (being routinely covered in the bodily fluids of others is not particularly glamorous) and certainly not for money (I’m in the lowest paid of the medical specialties and like many of my colleagues I still owe well over $100,000 in student loans).
I became a pediatrician because I love children! I’m passionate about children’s health and well-being and feel so incredibly lucky to play a small part in the lives of your children, your family. I have always valued the trust that you give me, it is the foundation that allows me to give you my best advice and provide the best care to your children. But today in 2026, I am not OK.
The worst measles outbreak in decades
I am not OK because the U.S. is now in the middle of the worst measles outbreak in decades and children have and will continue to die or suffer long-term neurological sequela from this disease that is vaccine-preventable.
I am not OK, because I am now beginning to see diseases that I learned about as historical information in medical textbooks, or only of concern in developing countries. I am not okay because there is so much noise and vitriol and misinformation out there, especially on social media, that it’s challenging to sort basic facts from fiction and close to impossible to sort truth from deliberately manipulated and cherry-picked partial truths.
I am not OK because there are people who truly believe that I am either an evil shill for pharmaceutical companies or I’m phenomenally and naively stupid; somehow my 12 years of post-secondary education, my sacrifice of my young adulthood in favor of endless studying and 80-hour work weeks is less than equal to their personal beliefs and internet research. I am not OK that anti-science voices with self-enriching and self-aggrandizing agendas are being uplifted at the highest level of government. I am not OK that politics has inserted itself into my relationships with you and your children.
I am not OK because I’m increasingly being put in positions in which I have to choose between following the science and keeping our vulnerable children safe or acceding to a parent’s deeply held, but objectively false belief about vaccines or medicine or some other facet of pediatrics. I’m not OK because sometimes when I’m not OK I don’t respond to people with empathy or curiosity and I make snide remarks or judgments. I am also a human with feelings and beliefs and all the aforementioned reasons for not being OK are overwhelming me. I am not OK, but for your sake and for your children’s sake I’m trying to be.
Eleanor A. Martin, M.D., F.A.A.P. is a Pediatrician at Asheville Pediatric Associates, P.A.
Written by Dr. Eleanor A. Martin, Guest Opinion / Asheville Citizen Times
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