By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-16 13:56:28 | Updated at 2024-11-16 16:45:40
3 hours ago
Brianne Dressen enrolled in a clinical trial for AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine in 2020 in a bid to help the pharma giant develop a vaccine that would end the pandemic.
She was among the first group of Americans to receive the then-experimental Covid shot and said she felt like she was 'doing my bit' and thought it would be safe.
But Ms Dressen would never return to get her second dose, suffering from such a severe reaction within an hour of her first injection that she says she is now nearly completely disabled and was left spending months contemplating suicide just to 'escape' the pain.
And while the physical pain is excruciating — with her body vibrating daily as though she is being electrocuted, she said — she has now been outcast by many friends and family as an anti-vaxxer. Due to the pain, she is also struggling to care for her two children, 10 and 12.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, the 43-year-old said: 'The pain is something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. This is the first thing I feel when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I feel when I go to sleep at night.
'My body feels like it is being electrocuted all the time, like this jarring sharp electrical sensation that moves throughout my body, head to toe, fingers, you know.
'There is no peace, no rest, no reprieve, the only time I get a break is when I take a whole lot of meds that allow me to sleep for a few hours — but I know that when I do this I am borrowing time from my future.'
In 2021, scientists at the National Institutes of Health diagnosed Ms Dressen with post-vaccine neuropathy — an extremely rare condition that occurs when a patient experiences tingling, numbness and weakness in their body following vaccination.
Brianne Dressen, 42, is suing AstraZeneca after taking part in their Covid vaccine trial. She said their shot left her 'permanently disabled'
Ms Dressen is suing for breach of contract, saying the company has failed to cover her medical bills incurred after suffering a severe neurological reaction to the vaccine
It can happen because proteins on the surface of some viruses are similar to those on nerve cells, causing the immune system to misfire and start to attack the nervous system.
Ms Dressen, from Utah, was bedbound for months after first developing the complication because of the pain, and found herself unable to use her legs.
Now, with the help of medications, she can move again, but remains in constant pain and can't feel anything in her legs.
Ms Dressen says she is not anti-vax, and says she was actually very much in the 'mainstream mindset' regarding vaccines, before her reaction.
She had helped to get face masks for the local hospital and heard of two other friends also taking part in clinical trials who had no issues.
As part of the AstraZeneca trial, Ms Dressen said she signed a consent form that stated the pharma giant would support her financially if she suffered from a serious side effect due to the vaccine.
DailyMail.com has not reviewed this consent form and cannot confirm Ms Dressen's claims.
But Ms Dressen says to date the company has only sent her $590, which pales in comparison to the up to $400,000 she says she must spend annually for her medications.
In May, she sued AstraZeneca for breach of contract, and the case is now working its way through the Utah courts.
Ms Dressen, pictured above, said she had become a shadow of her former self, unable to work, look after her children like she used to or even drive more than a few blocks
Ms Dressen is pictured above with her two children
Covid vaccines are estimated to have prevented more than 3.2million deaths and 18.5million hospital admissions in the United States alone, according to estimates.
More than 270million people in the United States received a Covid vaccine, with more than 677million doses administered.
But the AstraZeneca shot was never approved in the US because of concerns over the vaccine causing blood clots in rare cases. It was, however, approved in Europe.
Thousands have since come forward saying they believe that Covid vaccines have left them with serious injuries that have permanently changed their lives.
The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), which was set up by the US Government to assist those who say they suffered a vaccine injury, has received more than 14,000 applications from people claiming they suffered a vaccine injury.
And resulting vaccine injuries are taking a mental toll as well. The UK CV Family — which represents people who believe they were injured by Covid vaccines — found in a survey that 73 percent of its members had considered suicide because of their injury.
Many who say they have suffered injuries from vaccines also reveal how friends and family have shunned them because of the stigma around speaking up about their injuries.
Ms Dressen is pictured above in the hospital following her reaction to the vaccine
Ms Dressen's battle began within an hour of receiving the vaccine on November 4, 2020. She suffered from a tingling sensation like pins and needles in the arm that was injected with the shot.
It spread throughout her body and she was rushed to the ER four times in the following months seeking treatment. Doctors were not sure what to do, however, because the vaccine was still being trialed.
It was at this time she revealed she was losing the will to live, and turned to thoughts of suicide as a way to ease the pain.
She said: 'It wasn't like a small moment in time that I wanted to end my life, it was over several months.
'It wasn't like I was pacing around the house like, "I am going to die", it was me being totally silent and not being able to move and just fantasizing about an escape.
'It is not actually that people with these vaccine injuries want to die, we just need a break.'
AstraZeneca has accepted no responsibility for the injuries Ms Dressen suffered.
After a recent hearing for her case, Ms Dressen said she has learned 'everything I needed to know about this company'.
Ms Dressen is pictured above at a hearing where she explained her experience to officials
She said: 'There is no interest there whatsoever to help me.
'They are going to fight this every step of the way and... they called my lawyers and said they would appeal the initial decision.
'My medications are about $180,000 to $400,000 a year, we had to re-mortgage our home, I can no longer work, lots of income has been replaced with a mountain of medical bills — it has been a dramatic change in our quality of life.'
A spokesperson for AstraZeneca did not return a DailyMail.com request for comment.
Ms Dressen spoke to DailyMail.com ahead of the release of her book on November 26, which is titled: 'Worth a Shot?: Secrets of the Clinical Trial Participant Who Inspired a Global Movement.'
All proceeds from sales of the book are to be donated to React19 and UKCVFamily.
