Vaccine Injury Story on American Idol? We Are the Mainstream. Public Health and Media is the Fringe.
Last night on American Idol, viewers heard that a contestant had had a "bad reaction to pertussis vaccine and seizures." This the most mainstream program on television. Read JB Handley's post on "The Tinderbox"" and how Americans no longer trust the overloaded vaccine schedule. Please comment if you watched American Idol last night.
Casey James, we learn, had a bad reaction to the pertussis vaccine -- lots of seizures -- and his mother was worried about his delayed speech, until he started humming songs in his crib. He sings "It's All Over Now." He has a great time on stage, rocking out. Randy says he is back. Ellen says for most women, their hearts will race just looking at him, but "for people like me ... blondes ... I thought it was fantastic." Heh. Kara says he really was a rock star, unlike last week when he was just trying. Simon says he look great, sang well, played well, but it felt more like an audition than to him doing something incredible on this big stage. You can read more in The Baltimore Sun.
"Americans no longer trust the overloaded vaccine schedule."
Count me in. I could go on and on about the vaccine injury I suffered as a baby. When I was born, I think the Dr.'s told my mom that all these (unnecessary) vaccines were required by law (at least in California). I started developing signs of autism shortly thereafter.
On a related note, if anyone clicks on my link they will be taken to a post I recently put up on my blog.
Posted by: Vaccine Injury Stories | February 09, 2011 at 04:46 PM
Casey James made it into the top 3 tonight on American Idol.
Did anyone in our community ever reach out to his mom to get his story out about his DPT vaccine reaction?
Posted by: Andrea | May 12, 2010 at 10:06 PM
my son started having seizures shortly after recieveng his 2 month shots. He had seizures everyday for almost 7 months. He went 360 days with no seizures and we took him to the Doctor ( who advised us to start getting caught up on his immunizations) I agreed to have a couple of shots at a time done. He got two shots that day and 30 hours later he was having seizures again. He is 2 1/2 now and has anywhere from 4-15 seizures a day. There is no way you could ever convince me that the shots did not cause this.
Posted by: Jeff | March 30, 2010 at 11:07 AM
On the subject of damage control following leaked vaccine damage stories, does anyone remember what happened to the cervical vaccine death that happened in the UK last year?
The poor teenage girl collapsed and died several hours after the vaccine. Her friend was taken very ill but survived (not sure if recovered fully though?). Papers were full of that story. The next day the medical authorities carried out an emergency autopsy and sent out a press release along the lines of "we discovered a large cancer in her body. Therefore the girl DIED FROM CANCER, NOT VACCINE." Full autopsy to follow. (btw the girl had never ever had any health problems or symptoms up to that fateful day, and we were never told how come a "cancer" would decide to strike so suddenly and why would it be a "coincidence" that it happened immediately after a vaccine). We were not given any details. Just that we had to take their word for it. The girl had a previously undetected cancer and that was the reason for her death. How? Why? I wonder if the girl's family was given a detailed explanation and full details of "full autopsy" that was to follow? Did it follow?
Posted by: Natasa | March 22, 2010 at 06:22 AM
Look out for the AAP to go into damage control mode. They will stop at nothing. From NVIC "Vaccine Reaction",Sept 23, 1994.
MISS AMERICA GETS CAUGHT IN THE VACCINE MACHINE - Before the Miss America pageant that crowned her the new Miss America, Heather Whitestone gave an interview to the Birmingham News in her home state and candidly talked about how she became deaf after a serious reaction to a DPT shot at 18 months old. Heather's Mom also talked to The Star and other broadcast and print media about how Heather reacted to her DPT shot with a high fever and then came down with an infection that brought her young daughter close to death.
But within hours after the Miss America pageant, a horrified medical establishment moved quickly to publicly dispute any connection between Heather's deafness and the DPT vaccine and instead blame her deafness on a bacterial infection for which there now is a vaccine - Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib). The American Academy of Pediatrics searched out and found a doctor who had been part of the Alabama medical group that treated Heather as a toddler. The doctor publicly insisted there was no connection between Heather's deafness and the DPT shot and that Heather had suffered a severe case of Hib disease that coincidentally occurred around the time of her DPT shot.
Recently Vaccinated Children Get HIB - Analyses of individual reports made to the government's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System during the past two years reveal a significant number of four to eight year old children coming down with Hib disease within one to four weeks of vaccination. These reports are reminiscent of the reports of invasive bacterial infection, specifically Haemophilus influenzae b infection, within one to four weeks of acellular pertussis vaccination in the Swedish vaccine trials in the 1980's. There has long been speculation that vaccination may temporarily suppress the immune system and leave recently vaccinated individuals vulnerable to infections, from otitis media to more severe infections such as Hib.
Whether or not Heather Whitestone's deafness is connected to the DPT vaccine, there can be no doubt that the American medical establishment went to extraordinary lengths to publicly challenge Heather and her mother in order to avoid having to acknowledge DPT vaccine risks. At a National Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting held several weeks after she was crowned, one doctor suggested that the "public relations problem" surrounding the new Miss America could be fixed by persuading Heather to become a "poster child" to promote vaccination for the government.
Posted by: michael framson | March 22, 2010 at 01:43 AM
Super that this Mom was not stifled from sharing the truth of her son's struggles, and inspiring to see how well he is doing! Sofia, you could not have been personally affected by a vaccine-preventable disease as vaccines do not prevent disease (recent studies show placebos are more effective, while those affected by disease have largely been vaccinated against the same illness). You were simply affected by disease. Period.
Posted by: Rob | March 21, 2010 at 11:34 PM
I was floored to hear Casey's momma tell his story---I played it back several times to confirm and she did NOT couch it by saying it was an "extremely rare reaction" or "possibly connected to his shots"...nope, she just said he had a very severe reaction and then talked about the seizures. It is remarkable to me that he's made such a full recovery and I, as many of you noted, am anxious to know what treatments worked so well for him.
Posted by: Sunny | March 21, 2010 at 09:05 PM
I'm taking Sofia's comment at face value, because I have also seen - up close and personal - the effects of a vaccine preventable illness.
My sister was born with spina bifida (fairly severe physical birth defect) after my mom was exposed to rubella while pregnant with her (I had rubella as a toddler - my sister and I are close in age).
Ironic as it may seem to some, my sister and I are in almost complete agreement about vaccines - that there are too many, too soon - and that our government has decided that a certain percentage of vaccine injured children are acceptable collateral damage. Pharma profits from this premise and the almost complete indemnification from liability (never good for product safety).
Her son got Type 1 diabetes at age 6 (we suspect kinder boosters but of course can't be sure). Our other nephew has severe asthma. My child has 40+ food allergies.
We both agree that our society is doing something terrible to this generation of children and that is not fair to ask them to completely bear the burden of "public health" which conveniently feeds pharma and insurance greed (and the legislators in their pockets). Coming from someone like my sister, such thoughts are especially poignant to me.
Sofia - I would never deny you the right to tell your story - just like my sister has the right to HERS. But SO DO ALL THE PARENTS AND KIDS FIGHTING THESE BATTLES TOO. Shame on ANYONE who would attempt to silence others' experiences. If we allow that to happen we have ceased to be a free society.
Posted by: Parent | March 18, 2010 at 08:57 PM
Sofia,
If I had not vaccinated my daughter and she had experienced the natural disease, maybe she would be able to post comments at a blog today just like you. I see risk from a whole different perspective than you.
Posted by: Donna Kincanon | March 18, 2010 at 08:22 PM
Sofia,
You said:
"Vaccines are much safer now than they ever were"
Let me see if I have this right, in 1985 when children were getting about 10 or 12 vaccines and vaccine makers could, be, sued, They made unsafe vaccines and children died, so vaccine makers demanded protection.
Now children get about 32 vaccines and vaccine makers cannot, be, sued, and they are making them a lot safer. Right?
I do not think so. It seems like vaccine makers would make safer vaccines if they could be sued.
Posted by: Jeff Ransom | March 18, 2010 at 07:10 PM
Sofie, you might even make your living from them, yes? Having moderated thousands of comments, we kind of get the feel for the language. If you've healthy children, God bless. Please stop goading parents of vaccine injured children. Thank you.
Posted by: Managing Editor | March 18, 2010 at 05:07 PM
I have been personally affected by a vaccine-preventable disease. I am so grateful that vaccines are now available to my children that were not available to me when I was younger. I have done the research (look at reputable studies/resources) and spoken to doctors and autism experts. Vaccines are much safer now than they ever were.
Posted by: Sofia | March 18, 2010 at 04:47 PM
Sofia - does that mean people should be silenced from telling their own personal stories?
When personal truth is offensive or creates "trouble" we are going backward as a free society.
Good grief . . .
Posted by: Parent | March 18, 2010 at 02:07 PM
"These reactions are SO rare"
-yet you can find someone else with the same story anyplace you look. My son stopped breathing after the two month round of shots. I know 2 people personally who have lost children because of vaccines, and dozens of others who have children who have had bad vaccine reactions including autism, food allergies, chronic ear infections, and ADHD. Where do you get your data, pharmaceutical companies?
"We are going to be in trouble if we stop vaccination"
-Do you consider the children in our country at the moment to be in good health? Please.
Posted by: Lisa | March 18, 2010 at 01:55 PM
My jaw dropped when no one stepped up for vaccines. These reactions are SO rare and comments like these put everyone's kids at risk. Think about the over-the-counter medications you take. Are they 100% safe? No medication is. But if we stop vaccination, we'll be in a whole lot of trouble.
Posted by: Sofia | March 18, 2010 at 12:49 PM
I think we have friends in high places.. thank you American Idol for airing this. ...and Good luck Casey!! Rooting for you!
Posted by: sarah | March 18, 2010 at 12:11 PM
YEA for him!!!! The REALITY of it all is it happened....I know other families who's kids don't have autism because they quit vaccinating after they saw one reaction Unlike me who willingly went along with the doctors. I kept asking what was happening to my child??
Posted by: n | March 18, 2010 at 06:19 AM
You're right, nancy jackson, about the seed of doubt being planted in millions of young people's minds. They'll now have plenty of time to research the topic before they have kids. It will be with open minds, because there will be no guilt from allowing harm to come to any previous children.
That's what happened for me. In 1998, I heard a story on the news about Wakefield and the MMR. I researched over the next few years, and decided that my future children would be totally vaccine-free.
Posted by: Kristina | March 18, 2010 at 01:44 AM
I commented earlier but MUST add that my son's seizures were cured by the Ketogenic Diet and no meds. Just throwing it out there for anyone in a similar situation!!! :)
Steph
Posted by: Adventures In Babywearing | March 18, 2010 at 12:20 AM
I was watching and was thrilled they left that sound byte in... my son, too, suffered seizures and was give a bleak diagnosis but is healthy today (which sometimes makes it easier to not be so open, because no one can tell) but I'm SO glad she used that as part of his story. I'm sure he's going to go far, and ANYTHING that might put a second thought in a parents' mind about vaccines and dangers.... I'm happy with that!
Steph
Posted by: Adventures In Babywearing | March 17, 2010 at 10:16 PM
I had several calls after the story of CAsey aired , because it was almost an exact story of my 19 mo. daughter after her 4mo. DTap shot. Word of advice , make your Dr. try I.V steroids. After months of multiple meds for seizure control and 5-10 seizures daily with no help my daughter Allie dev. mild pneumonia. The e.r gave her a steroid shot in the leg and she miraculously was seizure free for a month. When they returned they put her in the hosp. and gave her I.V steroids . No seizures now for 8mo's and hopefully permanently. She had a very poor prognosis and was suppose to have that part of her brain removed until we figured it out. Don't give up on your baby .
Posted by: jennifer thompson | March 17, 2010 at 09:39 PM
Casey was already my favorite Idol. I'm with "The Cougar", Kara, on this one... he is a little HOTTIE, and VERY talented, to boot. I watch the show religiously, but rarely vote. After last night's show, I plan to vote every single time! Hats off to Casey's mom for having the courage to come our with Casey's Pertussis vaccine injury on the most mainstream television show in America, and hats off to the Fox Network for not concealing the truth!
Posted by: Erika Roberg | March 17, 2010 at 08:49 PM
sometimes I can't help myself and i start arguing with the people at leftbrainright brain. God why do i bother. They would think it was okay to inject anything in to your baby!!! it just frustrates me.
Hope they were watching american idol. Also the truth will eventually come out. but god do they HATE US.
Posted by: anonymous | March 17, 2010 at 07:52 PM
For those of you who didn't see it, here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w3hu2glL84
Posted by: Lisa Mazzuca | March 17, 2010 at 07:43 PM
This is good if they were,nt prepared for it to go out on air they could have stopped it going out on air , perhaps the Fox staff have views very similar to ours and they would,nt be wrong would they
Posted by: Deborah Heather | March 17, 2010 at 07:01 PM
Like this mom, her DPT experience was mine as well, but not with a good outcome, still has autism, still has seizures. Why don't we strike this while the iron is hot? Get a hold of that mom and send her to Autism One...and get the media there too. I hope the dude wins.
Posted by: kathy blanco | March 17, 2010 at 07:00 PM
Saw it and was very happy the remark was aired.
Posted by: 4Bobby | March 17, 2010 at 06:51 PM
he acts normal. i guess he gets that from hanging around his family.
Posted by: jb | March 17, 2010 at 05:47 PM
Soooo thrilled when I heard what Casey's mom was saying about the pertussis vaccine.
I am pregnant with my first child and have been researching about vaccines the information I have found about the risks are horrifying. It was awesome to hear about it in mainstream media. Just another reason in my book to say the way we do vaccines sucks
Posted by: Kim | March 17, 2010 at 04:40 PM
I hope he wins.
Posted by: Kristina | March 17, 2010 at 02:15 PM
i had just finished reading an article on the opinion page of the wall street journal entitled Vaccines Win Again,which praised the most recent ruling of the Special Masters in the U.S, Court of Federal Claims rejecting the claims of three sets of parents of autistic children.How discouraging.Five minutes later i turned on American Idol and heard casey's story.Millions of young men and women who watch the show have now had the seed of doubt planted about vaccines--thank you to those involved with AMERICAN IDOL who made the decision to air this controversial topic. nancy j
Posted by: nancy jackson | March 17, 2010 at 02:14 PM
Oops! Kathleen Sebelius forgot to have her little talk with American Idol.
Posted by: Kristina | March 17, 2010 at 02:10 PM
Looks like they're after him now--this added in the mix. Don't believe any of it. It is "code for" .... "He never had autism", "She didn't really have dystonia",
"He took blood at a children's party", "Ethyl mercury is a gentle bacteriostat”....you get the picture...
American Idol Casey James Has a Criminal Record
Read more: http://bumpshack.com/2010/03/16/american-idol-casey-james-has-a-criminal-record-mugshot/#ixzz0iSPCWJgV
Posted by: So Typical | March 17, 2010 at 01:56 PM
I just wanted to point out that the winner of the HGTV Dream House contest this week is a woman with an adult autistic son. He's going to college to get his associates degree. There's a whole video of them at the HGTV website, along with pix of his artwork etc.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-dream-home-2010-giveaway/package/index.html
Posted by: Garbo | March 17, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Hat's off to Casey's mom who dared to talk about such a painful event for all to hear. I remember hearing her state that Casey received treatment for his seizures from repeated hospital visits. This wasn't the case with my child who at six months of age went into seizures in less than 24 hours following "Pediarix," a vaccine that has Diptheria, Tetanus, Acellular Pertussis, Polio and Hep B. The hospital sent us home repeatedly, and told there was nothing they could do for adverse vaccine reactions. Hopefully, Casey's mom will share more details of her and her son's story.
Posted by: sonthamusic | March 17, 2010 at 11:32 AM
When Kathleen Sebelius "reached out to media outlets to try to get them not to give the views of these people equal weight", apparently she forgot to "reach out" to the American Idol show! You've got your work cut out for you, K.S. -- these stories are bubbling up all over the place!
Posted by: Twyla | March 17, 2010 at 11:19 AM
Whatcha bet he gets booted off and gets sued by vaccine manufacturers? Poor kid will be held accountable for every whooping cough death. He'll be wishing he died of SIDS.
Posted by: Diane Farr | March 17, 2010 at 10:58 AM
My jaw is still on the floor.
Posted by: Steve | March 17, 2010 at 09:18 AM
Ditto on almost falling off my chair. On reflection, I suspect Fox knew the details might be reported elsewhere, so allowed the story to stand. Either way, everyone heard it, and the seed was planted.
Posted by: Zed | March 17, 2010 at 08:57 AM
found the video: http://bumpshack.com/2010/03/17/casey-james-its-all-over-now-american-idol-rolling-stones-night-video/
Posted by: Jen | March 17, 2010 at 08:57 AM
I hate that one more person has been harmed but so glad it was "outed" on such a big show.
Posted by: Angie Mercier | March 17, 2010 at 08:26 AM
Oh heavens, I hope this doesn't hurt that child's chances.
Posted by: kathleen | March 17, 2010 at 08:13 AM
It was commented on so quickly, and altho, of course, I caught it, I hope most of America watching did too. I said, wow, thank you mom for making this comment on national tv. The DPT was dangerous for my daughter 35 years ago and it's still a dangerous vaccine today.
Maurine
Posted by: Maurine Meleck | March 17, 2010 at 07:46 AM
I nearly fell off my couch when I heard that story last night. I yelled for my husband to come in the room. The number one show in America actually aired that part that he was injured by a pertussis vaccine...it wasn't edited out. Hallelujah!
Posted by: Nicole | March 17, 2010 at 07:13 AM