Flu Shot Caused 10-Year-Old's Paralysis, Tampa Mom Says

With flu season’s peak just around the corner, Tampa mom Carla Grivna is making the rounds on news programs warning parents about what she says are potential dangers associated with immunizations to prevent it.

Just before Thanksgiving last year, Grivna’s daughter Marysue had her annual flu shot. Things were fine for a few days. In fact, the little girl played freeze tag with her friends, ate a normal dinner and went to bed the night of Nov. 25 just fine.

When Marysue didn’t get up at 6 a.m. the next morning like she normally did, her mother went to check on her.

“When I called her, she did not respond,” Carla Grivna wrote on a GoFundMe campaign page to benefit her child. “I attempted to wake her and could not at first. Finally, she opened her eyes but she did not speak to me, which was not normal for her.”

Grivna immediately notified her husband, Stephen. The two parents then called 911.

After tests were run, it was determined that Marysue had Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, or ADEM for short. This condition causes widespread inflammation of the brain and spinal cord that can lead to permanent symptoms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “ADEM often follows viral or bacterial infections, or less often, vaccination for measles, mumps, or rubella,” the institute’s website states.

In Marysue’s case, Grivna is convinced the flu shot caused it.

“The doctors won’t confirm or deny it,” Grivna was quoted by Fox News as saying. Based on her own research, however, and the fact there was no underlying condition, Grivna said the flu shot is the only thing that adds up.

Marysue is now 10, is “nonverbal, confined to a wheelchair/hospital bed, is primarily eating via a g-tube though,” the GoFundMe campaign page states.

Grivna is also urging parents to educate themselves before getting the flu shot for their children.

Dr. Juan Dumois of All Children’s Hospital, however, says it’s not recommended to avoid getting a flu shot out of fear of ADEM.

“If I get the flu, I’m far more likely to get ADEM than from the flu vaccine,” CBS quoted Dumois as saying.

The Grivna family is trying to raise $60,000 via GoFundMe.com. The hope is to raise enough money to equip Marysue’s bedroom so the family can care for her better at home while also purchasing a wheelchair van. For more information about the campaign, visit the fundraiser online.

Photo Credit: GoFundMe

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