I received this letter from a father whose daughter is having a severe reaction
to the Gardasil vaccine. It is a beautiful letter and deserves to be published
for all the fathers that have daughters struck down by this vaccine. The world
needs to know what you are going through and how you feel.
I read an excerpt of this letter on August 5th on WINA, Rob Schilling show out
of Charlottesville, VA. I will not say anymore except keep the tissues handy.
It is difficult to express the feelings I have as a
father about our daughter's struggle with adverse reactions to Gardasil.
Truthfully, I am angry. I am angry that a trusted physician of years who is very
familiar with Brittney's health issues involving immune system difficulties and
allergies would so very easily strongly recommend the HPV Vaccine shot to
Brittney, and do so with little or no mention of the possibility of adverse
reactions. To me, it seems this physician took it upon themselves to presume she
was at risk to come into contact with this HPV virus, which we have since found
is most likely to be contracted primarily through sexual activity. Contrary to
this "assumption," there are many young women who still save the gift of sex for
a marital relationship, and I know Brittney is among them. This anger is fed
further by the fact this same physician has refused to acknowledge the diagnosis
of a reaction to Gardasil, insisting upon the hypothesis that these symptoms
were brought about by a deep seated psychosomatic cause or "something" else.
I am also angry that in many ways many in the medical community which we dealt
with have taken such a cavalier attitude toward Brittney's health issues. As is
the case, this reaction does not fall within the realm of normalcy, which seemed
to be more than enough reason for many "healers" to not even attempt to deal
with. I might add that this experience with physicians has been echoed over and
over again among those having adverse reactions to Gardasil. I find it amazing
that it is usually the last area of investigation, rather then the first, even
though symptoms appear shortly after injections.
I do not expect perfection in physicians, as there is much we do not understand
about the human body. I do, however, expect compassion for patients who are
suffering and a passion for healing that does not easily give up. We're not
talking about the family car here!
I was once recited the statement that a "physician should do no harm." I think
the message being sent was that a physician should not deal with what they do
not understand and possibly cause more harm than good. I fear the way several
physicians dealt with Brittney could more accurately be stated as "do no good."
Certainly the creators of Gardasil felt it worth the risk, and I might also add,
the financial investment, to journey into areas they did not understand
completely. Their intent was to heal, and I know from personal experience with
our daughter that they also very much risked doing "harm." Obviously, they felt
it was "worth it." If all physicians operated with this approach of "do no
harm," there would be many curable and treatable conditions of today that would
have never been discovered. I guess we should forget radiation and chemo
treatments of cancer patients, as these usually do harm also. Need surgery?
Forget it... "do no harm."
Here's what I have seen as a father. All fathers want to see their daughters
find their way in this life. Gardasil has tried to rob me of that joy. I was
looking forward to watching Brittney find her career path and develop some
strong lasting relationships. This is what occurs in the young adult years and
often sets the tone for a lifetime. I was looking forward to seeing her
experiencing the joy of blossoming into her own person and standing on her own.
There is not much of that going on these days, as much of the time Brittney
struggles just to walk and to deal with pain. Relationships are pretty much
limited to phone calls and a sparse few quick visits. Basically, other young
adults do not seem to want to mess with someone who at the moment is not fun or
cannot offer them some sort of contribution.
I think there is nothing more painful to a father or mother than to know their
child is suffering. However, please understand that this suffering goes far
beyond the physical, which is significant. This suffering also reaches into her
spirit and mine as well. It breaks our hearts. There is the frustration of many
set-backs, and the constant sense that there are those medical professionals
"out there" who refuse to acknowledge this illness as even worthy of their time.
Frustration has become a way of life for now.
Brittney is blessed in many ways. She is not as bad off as some of the others
who have experienced this. We do hold out hope and have faith in our God that
she will one day beat this. Her mother is a treasure beyond compare in never
ceasing to be selfless in her love and diligent care. I honestly am finding that
I am not equipped on an emotional basis to give the kind of care and
understanding my dear wife does. I am lost in this. She is one of those angels
who walk around the planet masquerading as humans. Even as I write this, I
cannot help but feel sad for those young women who may experience adverse
reactions to Gardasil of this nature and not have the kind of support Brittney
has.
As in any serious illness, it is not only the child who suffers. The whole
family suffers. Life is not the same. And....in this case, it simply was not
necessary and could have been avoided with truthfulness and caring counsel.
Surprisingly, I am not advocating the total denial of Gardasil to perhaps
countless millions who "may" benefit from this. I realize there are countless
many more young women who do not react to Gardasil as Brittney and others have.
I am, however, strongly advocating that the TRUTH of this vaccine's
effectiveness and application to cervical cancer causes be clearly and openly
identified. I feel that I have seen "enough" suffering and read about enough
suffering in others to warrant that this vaccine be halted until more is known.
As the good doctor might say... "do no harm." I fear very much that many other
fathers who have "little girls" will experience what we have experienced due to
greed on the part of the pharmaceutical company responsible and also on the part
of doctors who may benefit from pushing their products. I have read many
opinions of medical people that this drug was not nearly adequately tested and
to the same extent as other drugs before being released to the general public. I
am certainly opposed to making this a mandatory vaccine for school aged young
women, as I have seen what can go wrong. I would like for physicians to be
truthful in their presentation of this option. I think much is being learned
about possible triggers which may set-off adverse reactions to Gardasil. These
should be clearly identified and paid heed to before another young woman has to
suffer needlessly.
Cynthia Janak
is a freelance journalist, mother of three, foster mother of one, grandmother of
five, business owner, Chamber of Commerce member. Her expertise is as an
administrative professional. Her specialties are adoptee and genealogy research
and research journalism. Hobbies: Writing prose, crocheting, Conservative
Studies, and rehabbing houses. You can contact Cynthia Janak at
cj1951@ameritech.net