Emotionally Agonizing Twitter Thread About Vaccination Gone Wrong Still Condemns Anti-Vaxxers

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mattstaff
Mar 2, 2019 12:00 AM EST

Years after this ex-competitive swimmer enduring the excruciating trials of a vaccine that "in many ways destroyed their life", they've spoken out on Twitter, to argue for vaccines. NOT the twist you'd expect amidst the swarms of anti-vaxxer threads we see storm social media, so regularly. But in this case, we have something refreshingly different. It's powerful and full of pain, and maybe moving enough to encourage anti-vaxxers to assess their stance with a newfound critical gaze. 

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  • 01
    Text - in light of what said about vaccinations today, i feel that it's time for me to finally share my story about vaccines & my personal health. A THREAD:
    via clemfairie
  • 02
    Text - when i was 14, i received a tetanus- diphtheria vaccine as part of a routine physical. as a competitive swimmer, i was in fantastic shape. my health & my fitness were my life. i was strong, had amazing lung capacity, & rarely caught more than a cold. that changed overnight.
    via clemfairie
  • 03
    Text - my arm tripled in size from the injection & was very painful.i started to have trouble breathing. then most of the muscles in my body stopped working. i developed pneumonia & was bedridden for approximately 6 months. i could barely move or breathe. i almost died.
    via clemfairie
  • 04
    Text - i began to struggle with random paralysis. breathing remained painful & difficult due to a mostly paralyzed diaphragm (which remained that way for 5 years).my muscles atrophied seemingly instantly.i began to exhibit stroke-like symptoms.ihad to use a wheelchair.
    via clemfairie
  • 05
    Text - it was a waking nightmare, made worse by the lack of a diagnosis. it took 2 years for us to find a name for my condition: guillain -barre syndrome, officially listed as a possible side- effect of the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine a whole year after i contracted it.
    via clemfairie
  • 06
    Text - only 30% of guillain-barre patients continue to exhibit symptoms after 3 years. only 3% ever relapse. i am a part of both groups. it's been 14 years since the original incident, which took around 6 years to begin to significantly recover from. i relapsed last spring.
    via clemfairie
  • 07
    Text - i spent many days lying on the floor gasping for air. i couldn't sit up for more than 5 minutes at a time. i still have to use a wheelchair if i go somewhere i have to walk for more than an hour or two. it's physically impossible for me to complete my hygiene routine at one time.
    via clemfairie
  • 08
    Text - that vaccine, in many ways, destroyed my life. i will always have gbs & i will always have serious symptoms. i could relapse again at any time & there is nothing that any doctor can do for me. there is no treatment. this is my reality for the rest of my life.
    via clemfairie
  • 09
    Text - so many would assume that i'm anti- vaccine. which is entirely, thoroughly, grossly incorrect. i am an unwavering supporter of vaccinations for every single person who can receive one. (that does not include immune- compromised individuals, which i also am.)
    via clemfairie
  • 10
    Text - what happened to me has a literal one in a million chance of occurring. yes, i've suffered. i've suffered more than i can explain & i continue to suffer. but i'm the one in a million. i'm the outlying statistic that's a grim necessity for the majority of people to be healthy.
    via clemfairie
  • 11
    Text - there is nothing in modern medicine that comes without risks. there's nothing in LIFE that comes without risks. i understand that & everyone else should too. there have to be people like me if the majority of people are going to stay safe & healthy. that's reality.
    via clemfairie
  • 12
    Text - vaccines have done & continue to do so much good for the health of the general public. a few sad stories like mine don't change that. it hasn't changed it for me & it shouldn't change it for any of you.
    via clemfairie
  • 13
    Text - when you don't get vaccinated, you put at risk the lives of all of the people like me who CAN'T be vaccinated. you are literally playing russian roulette with OUR lives because you're nervous about a one in a million statistic. that's beyond selfish & there's no excuse.
    via clemfairie
  • 14
    Text - keep the public healthy & safe. keep US healthy & safe. get vaccinated.get your children vaccinated. stop listening to conspiracy theories & look at actual statistics. think about the people with cancer & serious auto- immune illnesses that a lack of vaccinations puts at risk.
    via clemfairie
  • 15
    Font - do the right thing--the socially conscious & caring thing--& get vaccinated. thank you.
    via clemfairie
  • 16
    Text - (also, it's better for your health & your children's health, anyway. in case caring for the general public isn't your thing. again, statistics. read them.)
    via clemfairie

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