Hello, my name is Lisa Marks Smith and I have a flu shot injury. I am VAERS ID 251221. I received a
settlement through the Vaccine Court Case No 08-723V.
You read that flu shot injuries are rare and mild but that has not been my experience.
I received the flu shot on Oct 15th 2005 at a CVS store. My Dad was having knee replacement and I
didn’t want to get sick. That turned out to be a very bad plan.
Right away I felt bad. I went to the hospital the next weekend because I told my husband, “I feel like I
am going to die.” Mercy Hospital diagnosed me with pneumonia and sent me home. I never got any
better. In fact, I continued to get worse. Two weeks after I received the shot I got up and my legs were
strangely weak. They continued to get weaker throughout the day until by evening I could not use
them at all. I had to lie on floor until my son came home to call for help.
An ambulance took me to Mercy Hospital. They could not diagnose me so I transferred to Christ
Hospital. My official diagnosis is Post Infectious Myositis due to the flu vaccine.
I spent 24 days in the hospital and another 9 months in physical therapy (going 4 hours a day in the
beginning). I would not feel my legs for the next 4 years.
I continue to have issues 10 years later. As you can see I have an air cast. This is due to my ruptured
Achilles tendon. I have peroneal neuropathy, foot drop, or as my friends and I call it, Barbie feet. My
tendons stay rigid. I tried to stretch out the tendon last year and damaged it. At my sons wedding, it
ruptured when I attempted to do a line dance; one hop, ruptured tendon. I had to have surgery in
February to repair the tendon. Doctors estimated it would be 6 months before I could walk again.
However, I am used to dealing with pain and I am up and moving.
I wish I had taken the time to research the flu shot. I would have learned:







The flu shot still contains thimerosal. The multi-dose vials
Last year, flu shots were only 19% effective
On average since 1969, 1908 people a year have died from the flu
The flu shot is the most compensated vaccine in the Vaccine Compensation Program.
Hospitals receive a higher Medicare reimbursement rate when they hit a 90% flu vaccination
rate.
That there was a National Vaccine Compensation Program.
The Cochrane Collaboration concluded, “There is no evidence that only vaccinating healthcare
workers prevents laboratory-proven influenza or its complications (lower respiratory tract
infection, hospitalization or death due to lower respiratory tract infection) in individuals aged 60
or over in LTCIs and thus no evidence to mandate compulsory vaccination of healthcare
workers”
All medical interventions have risks. People should be able to make healthcare decisions for
themselves. Where there is risk, there should be choice.
I would ask you to walk a mile in my shoes when voting, but I cannot walk a mile or wear shoes.
While I was at UC Hospital for my Achilles tendon surgery, several nurses told me about a nurse there
who has GBS from a flu shot last year. The Hospital did not want to honor his medical exemption; even
though he had just returned to work after being off a year and a half.