Gardasil Vaccine Caused Cancer That Killed 22-Year-Old, Lawsuit Alleges

The mother of a young woman who died of cervical cancer after receiving the Gardasil vaccine sued Merck, alleging the vaccine maker falsely promoted the vaccine for cancer prevention and failed to warn patients about the shot’s risks.

The mother of a young woman who died of cervical cancer after receiving the Gardasil vaccine is suing the vaccine’s manufacturer, Merck.

Wisner Baum attorneys filed the complaint on behalf of Erin Ferguson, whose daughter Haley died at age 22.

The lawsuit alleges Merck falsely promoted Gardasil as a vaccine for cancer prevention and neglected to warn patients about the vaccine’s severe risks. The plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages.

The wrongful death lawsuit joins more than 182 other cases against Merck, consolidated in the federal Gardasil multidistrict litigation in North Carolina.

‘I do not want to die at such a young age’

When Haley was 13, she received the first of three Gardasil shots. Following the injections, she began to experience abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, vomiting, abnormal bleeding and heavy periods, among other side effects.

When she was 18, doctors diagnosed Haley with metastatic cervical cancer/adenocarcinoma of the cervix. She underwent salpingectomy and bilateral ovarian transposition surgery.

Doctors also treated her cancer with chemotherapy and radiation. However, Haley’s cervical cancer continued to progress, spreading to her liver, skin, uterus and eventually lymph node metastases.

After each new tumor appeared in a different organ, Haley underwent various forms of chemotherapy and combinations of treatments, along with stronger rounds of radiation.

She endured excruciating pain, lost her hair and developed severe skin irritation. She required oxycodone and morphine to manage the pain.

On May 22, 2023, Haley died of metastatic cervical cancer/adenocarcinoma. Her mother maintains that her daughter’s Gardasil injections were responsible for causing the development of cervical cancer.

Before she died, Haley wrote the following as part of her petition in Vaccine Court:

“I wonder every day if everything would be different if I would not have gotten this vaccine. If I would be a normal young adult starting my life in the real world and not feeling horrible every day of my life because I am in so much pain from the cancer spreading.

“I do not want to die at such a young age and hope that I can help get the word out there that this vaccine is not for everyone and my life could have been so different had we known.”

Bijan Esfandiari, an attorney with Wisner Baum, said:

“Merck scared parents, including the Fergusons, into believing that by getting the Gardasil HPV vaccine their children would be protected from getting cancer. But Merck’s studies were not designed to determine whether Gardasil prevents cervical cancer.

“The company only tested whether Gardasil prevented certain lesions caused by HPV, the vast majority of which disappear on their own. As the studies we identify in Haley’s complaint show, Gardasil may actually increase the risk of getting cervical cancer.”

If you or your child suffered harm after receiving the Gardasil HPV vaccine, you may have a legal case. Visit Wisner Baum for a free case evaluation.

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