Jessica Ericzon (Alexandria Bay, New York)
(Died February 22, 2008 – age 17)
I guess I will start with Jessie’s first Doctor’s visit where we went because of Jessie’s acne. She had heard that sometimes birth control pills did wonders for acne. So in April of 2007 we went to the Family doctor. At this appointment she was put on the birth control pill Yazmin.
Her Doctor did mention the Gardasil vaccine and what it was for, but they didn’t push it at all. Jessie and I decided that we would take the pamphlet home and read it first, before we made a decision. On July 16, 2007 we went back to the Doctor for a re-check on her progress with the birth control pill and her acne which was clearing up quite nicely.
We decided then to go ahead with her first Gardasil vaccination. I thought I was doing the best for Jessie, I mean who wouldn’t want to do everything they could to prevent any kind of cancer when it came to their kids. Side effects were discussed and it was the usual nausea, fever, headache, same as if you were to get a flu shot.
If I had known at the time that there was even the slightest chance of death, I would have never allowed Jess to have the shot. There were no side effects after her first shot. We went in on September 17, 2007 for her second vaccination. The only complaint that she had was that it hurt to get the shot.
I’m not sure when Jessie started complaining about her head hurting, plus she was always tired and her joints ached. She even felt dizzy once in a while. I did write in my diary on October 23, 2007 that she complained of a very severe headache. She spoke once in awhile of a spot on the back of her head that bothered her. She felt like it was a tumor, but I felt nothing when I checked.
On November 20, 2007 I took her to the same family Doctor who prescribed her 2 previous vaccinations to check on why she could be having these headaches. He felt nothing and said it may be due to stress that she is having headaches and she was to take some Tylenol when needed. At no point in this conversation did side effects and Gardasil come up, it didn’t occur to me or obviously the Doctor that Gardasil could have anything to do with it.
After that visit she was still tired and her joints still ached and a few headaches here and there, I attributed the joint ache to Cheerleading as she was a base and did a lot of lifting. In February 2008, 18th-24th, Jessie was on a winter break from school, but she did take Distance Learning Classes thru the local community college. A few days that week Jess went to her school to practice pitching for the upcoming softball season. She loved to pitch and practiced as much as she could.
On February 20, about 5pm Jess had her 3rd Gardasil vaccination and everything was fine until the night before she died, when Jess and I were sitting on the couch playing a Sudoku game on her laptop, Jessie said the spot on the back of her head hurt again. I told her to take a couple of Tylenol and hopefully she would feel better in the morning.
At 9pm I kissed her goodnight and told her I loved her and went to bed. My other half Tim and I work at the same hospital so we left at about 5:10 that Friday morning February 22, 2008 and Jess was sleeping as usual.
When we got home from work around 3:20 pm, I found Jessie dead on the bathroom floor. The shock to my body and brain are nothing I ever want to experience again. Although I relive them everyday of my life now. I see the blue of her eyes which were open slightly as if she were watching me as I lay on the bathroom floor with her knowing there was nothing I could do for her.
When the troopers showed up Tim said I did mention the fact that Jessie had the Gardasil vaccination although I don’t remember. I do remember telling someone about the pain in the back of her head before she went to bed. The next morning the Medical Examiner, Dr Livingstone called me to tell me they found no reason for Jessie’s death. He said she was dead before she hit the floor.
I do remember telling him about the 3rd Gardasil vaccination she had just had not 2 days ago. He said that he had not heard of any negative findings with Gardasil.
After that Tim went home (as we were staying with my dad across the road) and Googled Gardasil.
The information that came up was devastating to me. I felt I had killed my daughter. I will stop here because the rest is basically much grief and much research. Respectfully,
Lisa Ericzon.
Lisa Ericzon would also like to add: “Losing your daughter at the age of 17 is indescribable. It is something that I will live with for the rest of my life. Knowing that it could have been prevented is a guilt I will carry also. Jessie was the All American teenager – happy, healthy, never did drugs or smoked. She was so full of everything life could offer her and did everything life would allow. She participated in all the sports and cheer leading in her school. Jess was an honor student and #8 in her class. I could go on and on because she was someone who I was ALWAYS proud to call my daughter. She was the best of the best and was on the road to becoming a success story in today’s world. Now she is gone and my life is empty without her.”
“Gardasil killed my daughter Jessie and it is my hope that Gardasil will end soon, so no other family has to suffer with losing their daughter.”
(Email address: laknights7@westelcom.com)