Nancy Hokkanen lives in Bloomington, Minnesota with her husband and son. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications, and has worked since 1977 primarily in publishing, advertising and graphic arts.
Nancy is a board member of the Canary Party and the National Health Freedom Coalition, a contributing editor for the Age of Autism blog, a member of the Vaccine Safety Council of Minnesota, and co-moderator of a Midwest biomedical treatment listserv.
In 1998-99 her son reacted adversely to infant vaccines, and in 2002 was diagnosed with autism. After a neurologist-prescribed drug drastically worsened her son’s symptoms, she began investigating autism causal theories and networking with parents and providers. She read daily about problems with the U.S. medical establishment, drug companies, Thimerosal, vaccines, and government public health policymakers.
After learning about the variety of health damage caused by mercury toxicity in medical products, Nancy had her amalgam tooth fillings removed; subsequently her health improved. In 2004 she co-signed a petition by Consumers for Dental Choice against the Minnesota Board of Dentistry that would have provided informed consent about mercury in amalgams. During 2004-2006 Nancy helped lobby for a yet-to-be-passed Minnesota bill that would limit the use of the mercury-based preservative Thimerosal in vaccines.
Nancy grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, where her family ate homegrown produce and safely drank raw milk several times a day for decades. She believes that consumers deserve accurate risk/benefit data about products and services, provided without government coercion or mandates.