At the age of 25, Desiree Jennings has had her life turned upside-down after a seasonal flu shot triggered an extremely rare neurological disorder called dystonia.  An aspiring Washington Redskins cheerleader and marathon runner with a clean bill of health has seen her quality of life plummet and she is unsure if she can ever work again.

Doctors have said that she is the “one in a million” who will suffer a reaction of this magnitude to a routine influenza vaccination, but in this writer’s opinion, one in a million is one too many.  She suffers uncontrollable muscle spasms that become particularly violent when she tries to walk in a forward direction.  Her speech has also been slowed dramatically.  Perhaps most frustrating for this young woman is that she is able to walk backwards and run in the forward direction with virtually no problems–her ability to speak normally even returns.  As soon as she stops and tries to walk forward, her body rebels against her in a heartwrenching display of involuntary muscle reactions.

While symptoms of dystonia can be treated there is ultimately no cure currently available.  Her tragic story has blown up all over the world and she has reportedly been inundated with well-wishers and people touched by her circumstance.  Jenny McCarthy, who founded Generation Rescue, is working with her staff to raise awareness about the safety of vaccines.  Generation Rescue’s president is hoping to fly her out to Los Angeles for specialized treatment.

We certainly wish this brave woman all the best of luck in her quest to repair the vast damage done to her body and her psyche.  The story of Desiree Jennings should not discourage everybody from receiving a flu shot, but it demands that we understand what we are putting in our body when we receive any type of vaccination.