The Autism News

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By Claudia Coffey | Fox 5

Local woman disabled by flu vaccine reaction

WASHINGTON, D.C. – There are new developments in the story FOX 5 first brought you about a Redskins cheerleader left disabled by a seasonal flu shot. Now, Desiree Jennings is adding a boost of star power to her cause.

An organization founded by actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey is so touched by Desiree’s story that they have reached out to offer not only words of encouragement, but the organization’s support.

Desiree Jennings’ struggle is getting worldwide attention.

“It’s been unreal,” Jennings told FOX 5. “I didn’t think anyone would even care about my story. People are sitting there crying and I can’t understand why.”

She first spoke to FOX 5 about a severe reaction she suffered after getting a seasonal flu shot. Now, both Fairfax Inova and Johns Hopkins say Desiree suffers from a rare neurological disorder as a result of the flu shot. The condition is called dystonia, and it affects every aspect of her ability to function. One day after our story aired, Generation Rescue, an organization founded by actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey , reached out to Desiree.

“They are extremely helpful,” Desiree said. “They have a lot of doctors that deal with vaccine interactions, and they have sent us so many other stories similar to mine. Unfortunately a lot of theirs are with children, which is worse. I can understand it happening to an adult, but not a little child that hasn’t had a chance to live their life and can’t speak, so I want to speak. They can’t, and I want to help them, too,” says Jennings.

McCarthy’s 7-year-old son Evan is autistic. She founded Generation Rescue along with actor Jim Carrey to educate people about ways to reverse autism. The organization is now raising awareness over the safety of vaccines including flu shots. Generation Rescue’s President Stan Kurtz was so touched by Desiree’s story, the organization is hoping to fly her to Los Angeles for treatment.

“And the story is, anyone that sees– it is just so compelling, Jenny was crying over it,” says Kurtz.

Kurtz also believes with the proper treatment, some of her symptoms may be reversible.

“Well, unfortunately we happen to be very good at handling vaccine injury. We’ve got a lot of doctors that have experience in doing that, so our doctors and our resources are completely available to her, and we’re going do everything we can to give her a lot of options to, to help take care to help recover from this condition as best we can,” says Kurtz.

For Desiree, it’s a glimmer of hope and a chance at getting her life back.

“Get back to my normal life, but still have had a chance to warn people as well,” says Jennings.

Still, the Centers for Disease Control says the seasonal flu vaccine is safe and recommends it to the general public. Desiree, in the meantime, wants to get her message out about her concerns over the safety of vaccines.

ORIGINAL STORY ON DESIREE JENNINGS AND HER CONDITION:

Woman Disabled by Flu Shot Reaction

WASHINGTON, D.C. – An Ashburn, Virginia woman is in the fight of her life after suffering a very rare side effect to the seasonal flu shot.

The vast majority of doctors say flu shots are safe. In this case, the FDA says they found nothing wrong with this particular batch, but sometimes there are complications.

That’s apparently what happened to Desiree Jennings, and now her life will never be the same.

At 26 years old, Desiree Jennings was the picture of health. She’s a Washington Redskins cheerleader and an avid runner. Her life changed forever on August 23 when she says she got a seasonal flu shot at a local grocery store.

“I was training for a half marathon then,” said Jennings, crying. “It just all went so fast.”

Ten days after receiving the shot, she came down with the flu. After that, her health spiraled downwards. She started passing out and had to be hospitalized twice.

“We went to an urgent care place and they wouldn’t even let her get out of my truck because she was seizing in the back so bad, so they called an ambulance immediately,” says her husband, Brendan Jennings.

Doctors at Fairfax Inova and Johns Hopkins diagnosed her with a rare neurological disorder called dystonia. They think it was caused by a severe reaction to the flu shot.

Desiree now has difficulty speaking, walking, and even eating. During an interview with FOX 5, she had several seizures. The effects are irreversible.

“The symptoms will get worse if I use my voice or walk when the brain signals are misfiring,” says Jennings.

Desiree reported her health problems to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) thinking there might have been something wrong with her vaccine. We also contacted the FDA and we were told they found no problems with the particular lot of flu vaccines that Desiree received, and the agency has not received any other reports of adverse effects from this lot.

Health experts stress that overall, extreme side effects are rare.

“The flu shot is safe for the majority of the public, and as I said before, your heart goes out to someone that experiences this sort of thing– thinking that they are doing something great for their wellness and their general health, but it does happen in extremely rare cases,” says Rachel Lynch with Fairfax Inove Health System.

For Desiree, she just happened to be one of those rare cases.

“I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” says Jennings.

Desiree and her husband plan to visit the Mayo Clinic in Arizona in November. They’re hoping to get more answers about this disease and how they live with it.

Desiree has received flu shots before in 2007 and 2008.

Source:

- http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/health/dpgo_101509_celebs_reach_out_to_desiree_jennings_flu_shot_reaction_4065808
- http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/health/101309_woman_disabled_by_flu_shot_reaction_dystonia

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The Autism News English, English Desiree Jennings, FDA, flu shot, Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Virginia, Washington Redskins cheerleader