“One shot destroyed my life”: Woman injured by Merck’s HPV vaccine speaks out

Within 30 minutes of receiving her one and only dose of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine, Kaley Stockton experienced a dramatic decline in her health. “I was in such a state of shock. I didn’t know what was happening,” Kaley told CHD.TV host Stephanie Locricchio in a recent episode of “The People’s Testaments.”

The article was originally published by The Defender – Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website.

Within 30 minutes of receiving her one and only dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Kaley Stockton experienced a dramatic decline in her health.

As she drove to work after receiving the shot, the previously healthy 24-year-old broke out in hives and her body temperature soared. Even more concerning, her heart was racing.

“I was in such a state of shock, Kaley told Stephanie Locricchio in a recent episode of CHD.TV’s “The People’s Testaments.” “I didn’t know what was happening.”

Kaley called 911. When paramedics determined her heart was racing at 183 beats per minute, they transported her to the ER. There, doctors administered Benadryl, which temporarily alleviated some of Kaley’s symptoms.

The ER doctors discharged her — with an “inconclusive” diagnosis.

During that trip and later trips to the ER, Kaley said doctors consistently denied the possibility that her symptoms could have been caused by her HPV vaccination.

Instead, she said, they told her: “We don’t know what happened.”

The doctor who gave Kaley the HPV vaccine — an obstetrician-gynecologist she saw for a routine Pap smear — did not inform her about any adverse reactions, Kaley said.

“That is what shocks me … that she [the doctor] has not done research into this,” Kaley said. “She has not weighed the risks and benefits.”

Despite marketing its vaccine as safe and effective, Merck — manufacturer of the Gardasil HPV vaccine — now faces a growing number of lawsuits, including a wrongful death claim, alleging the company purposefully concealed the known side effects of the vaccine.

Those side effects include debilitating autoimmune complications such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), neurological problems, premature ovarian failure and other side effects.

On March 29, a federal judge called for a group of 16 Gardasil lawsuits to be prepared for a series of early bellwether trials. The trials will help the parties determine how juries are likely to respond to expert testimony and evidence that will be repeated throughout the growing number of claims brought by individuals who experienced complications after receiving the Gardasil HPV vaccine.

A North Carolina district court last month ordered Merck to turn over all of its Gardasil adverse event databases to plaintiffs suing the pharmaceutical giant for injuries allegedly caused by Gardasil vaccines.

The databases, which include information from the Merck Adverse Event Reporting and Review System — Merck’s version of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) — should contain all of the reports pertaining to Gardasil adverse events submitted by physicians, patients and publications, plaintiffs’ attorney Michael Baum told The Defender.

Meanwhile, Merck recently said it wants to give the vaccine beginning at age 9 or 10, instead of 11 or 12 as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends.

“I don’t want to be one of those people who has this happen to them and is silent”

Prior to receiving the HPV vaccine, Kaley had been an avid horse rider and she routinely did intense Crossfit workouts.

But now, she experiences fatigue so extreme that she has at times needed a walker, Kaley told Locricchio.

She also experiences elevated heart rates as high as 212 beats per minute, tremors, uncontrollable convulsions and difficulty forming her words.

Kaley’s family recognized the connection between Kaley’s symptoms and her HPV vaccine “almost immediately” because of the contrast between “the person I was before” and “the person I was right after,” she said.

“My dad even said, ‘I don’t care what it means – I’m never getting vaccinated again if that’s the risk.'”

Kaley said that right before she got the shot there was “something” in her telling her to grab her phone and read about the HPV vaccine, but she resisted the urge.

“I felt morally and personally paralyzed because I didn’t want them [the doctor and staff] thinking I would refuse something they said would help me.”

Now she is speaking out — especially to children and parents — about her experience.

“I don’t want to be one of those people who has this happen to them and is silent,” she said.

Watch the episode here.

This article was originally published by The Defender – Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Please consider subscribing to The Defender or donating to Children’s Health Defense.

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