Not too long ago, when my daughter, Abigail, told me she wanted to share her story, my heart sank a little.
This was a hard one for both of us.
Our seventh child—precious, silly, loving little Abigail—was vaccine-injured when she was young. Like any injury, it changed the course of her life in ways we never expected. But through the struggles came remarkable strength. Today, she is one of the most empathetic, tender-hearted, resilient people I know.
Abigail’s OCD tendencies caused her many relationship problems, and she was often misunderstood and made fun of by other children. This left her feeling isolated and rejected.
James and I have dealt with many regrets over the years, not only for not knowing what we didn’t know, but also for not understanding that her erratic behavior wasn’t always necessarily a disciplinary issue. It would be many years later before we discovered what was really going on in her head during those years.
I can tell you more about life on the spectrum another time, but today, this is about Abigail and what it was like for her. So I invite you to read Abigail’s story in her own words…
In Abigail’s Own Words…
Hope. Anticipation. Validation. These are the words that come to mind when I think about RFK Jr. stepping into the role of Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Why does this matter so much to me?
Because for the first time in a very long time, I feel there may be room for stories like mine to be heard. Perhaps now, the experiences of families like ours won’t be automatically dismissed, minimized, or ignored. And maybe, just maybe, I can help raise awareness for other young mothers by offering the empathy and compassion that were so often missing when I needed them most.
Before I share, I want to make one thing clear: I respect your right to make the decisions you believe are best for your child. Even if we disagree about vaccinations, I will always defend your right to choose.
But I also believe in informed consent—the idea that every parent deserves access to complete information before making decisions about what goes into their child’s body.
In return, I simply ask for respect. If you have questions, I’m happy to answer them. If you disagree, that’s okay too. But please respond with kindness. Sharing this very personal story is never easy. It brings me back to some of the most difficult moments of my life.
With that said, I’m ready.
I Matter Too
I was born on June 16, 1998, in Houston, Texas, to a loving family. I truly adore my mom and dad, and now that I’m a parent myself, I understand even more deeply that every decision they made for me came from a place of love.
They had no way of knowing what I would eventually go through, and I hold absolutely no animosity toward them. Like most parents, they trusted their doctors and followed the medical advice they were given. They never imagined they needed to question something as routine and widely accepted as childhood vaccinations.
At the time, vaccinating your children was simply what “responsible parents” were expected to do. My parents wanted what every parent wants—for me to be healthy, safe, and protected.
This story is not about blame. It’s about one child, one family, and a journey that changed my life forever.
Happy and Healthy
By all accounts, I was a happy, healthy baby.
My medical records indicate that I had a natural, uneventful birth, and family photos from those early months show a thriving newborn surrounded by people who loved her dearly.
The first reaction I experienced is common, and often dismissed as a “normal side effect” of immunizations—but the more I’ve learned, the more I question that assumption. My parents recall the injection site swelling, becoming hard, red, and hot to the touch—all considered common reactions.
There were other things that stood out as unusual as I grew. For example, I never crawled in the traditional sense. Instead, I arched my back, pressed my forehead against the floor, and inch-wormed my way across the room using my feet to propel myself forward. My pediatrician laughed and told my mother that some babies simply develop differently.
Something Isn’t Right
By my second birthday, my parents were starting to suspect that something was terribly wrong. As my mom learned more about the risks of immunizations, the pieces started to fall into place. Thankfully, this realization came before my younger sister was born in 2001.
After watching my health struggles unfold, my parents chose not to continue vaccinating my younger siblings.
One of the biggest challenges in piecing all this together over two decades later is distinguishing between random illnesses and potential vaccine reactions.
All I know is that when I was two years old, I developed a mysterious fever that suddenly spiked to 107°—seemingly out of nowhere. My mom managed to bring it down quickly, but by the time they got me to the ER, I was completely unresponsive.
I was kept in the hospital overnight; the medical staff gave me IV fluids because my blood sugar had dropped to dangerously low levels—yet no one could explain why.
After that, my health began to decline. I started losing weight, constantly complained of phantom leg pains, and always seemed to have a stomachache. My overall well-being, physically and emotionally, continued to deteriorate.
Staring Spells
One of my earliest childhood memories is the time I experienced my first absence seizure, though no one recognized these for what they were. The experience was terrifying for both my parents and me. My mom always described them as staring spells—when it happened, I looked straight through them, unresponsive and unable to react.
Little did they know that I was desperately trying to respond to their frightened pleas. I was paralyzed—I could see and hear my parents, but it was like I was trapped inside my own body. I fought with everything I had to respond, but my body refused to obey. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t force a single sound past my lips.
It was, without a doubt, one of the most traumatic experiences of my childhood. I felt utterly helpless—alone and disconnected from the people around me. To this day, I can still see the panic in my mother’s eyes as she tried to reach me.
Sight and Sound
Somewhere along the way, I started experiencing eyesight and hearing issues. I remember staring at my mom and asking her why I could “see two mommies.” She immediately scheduled an appointment with an eye doctor who diagnosed me with amblyopia (commonly known as lazy eye). My eyesight has improved slightly since then, but it will never be fully restored.
All of my older siblings received far fewer immunizations, and none of my younger siblings received any. After what happened to me, my parents decided to stop immunizations altogether, so my younger siblings were all spared.
Do You Hear What I Hear
I consider myself incredibly fortunate that I didn’t lose my hearing completely. While I am able to manage without hearing aids, if necessary, I’ve worn them since I was about three or four years old. Still, there are certain tones and pitches to which I am completely deaf.
One day, after getting my first pair of hearing aids, I watched as my mother wet the hairbrush to do my hair. Surprised, I looked up at her and said, “I never knew water made a sound!”
the meltdowns
Beginning around age two, I started experiencing intense mood swings and was easily overwhelmed by crowds, too much activity, or what I perceived as chaos. This is particularly difficult for me to write about because I remember the intense feeling of shame over not being able to control my emotions.
I obsessed over the smallest of issues, often becoming irrational and angry – crying uncontrollably for hours on end over things that were out of my control. My meltdowns became a regular part of my family’s life, never knowing when or how something might set me off – or how many hours it would continue.
I love my siblings dearly, and it breaks my heart to know how this affected our relationships during childhood. I know they often felt like they were walking on eggshells around me.
I was a socially awkward child with a lot of anxiety, and I deeply longed for connection. But because of my OCD tendencies, I had a hard time making friends. I tended to be demanding and “bossy” towards my peers if we weren’t playing exactly how I wanted to play.
I now realize that I was often forcing people to do things my way, without considering their feelings—unintentionally hurting them in the process. (To those who are still my friends after all of this, you’re the real MVP. I’m genuinely sorry for quite literally forcing y’all to participate in all of my princess plays. 
)
Thinning Hair
In addition to the weight loss and dark circles under my eyes, my hair became thin and fragile. Once, when I was playing with my baby sister, she tugged on my hair, and an entire handful came out in her hand. My mom said it was like spider web hair. It wasn’t until after we found a doctor who figured out what was going on with me that my parents realized my body was having trouble absorbing nutrients.
In 2001, when I was around three years old, we discovered I was highly allergic to wheat and gluten. I still have reactions if I’m not careful, so I continue to follow a gluten-free diet (although my symptoms have changed somewhat since then).
Did you know that a vaccine-injured child with food allergies can find themselves in withdrawals? That was me. Your body can crave what it shouldn’t have like it’s a drug.
My mom says it’s because of me that our family dove into a healthier lifestyle. Going all-natural was her way of trying to figure out how to help me heal whatever had happened to me. Since I was so sensitive to chemicals, certain foods, and even OTC drugs, she became a professional “label reader” and began researching homeopathy, herbs, essential oils, alternative healing, and detoxed our home of chemicals that might set me off.
Our family diet even changed. No more gluten, preservatives, food dyes, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, or processed foods. Instead of eating fruity pebbles, taquitos, chicken nuggets, and goldfish, our family ate things like quinoa, raw milk, fermented vegetables, and homemade kefir. Detoxing our home and avoiding certain foods and chemicals made a huge difference for me!
Reaction to Pharmaceuticals
To this day, my body reacts unpredictably to food dyes, synthetic chemicals, and many medications—which is especially alarming considering I needed multiple doses of life-saving Pitocin during both of my emergency postpartum hemorrhages.
After my first child was born, I needed two rounds of lidocaine before getting stitched up—only for my body to reject it still, forcing me to feel every single stitch.
Then, there was my kidney infection. We tried two different antibiotics, and I had severe allergic reactions to both. Those are just a few examples of my body resisting or rejecting medicine that was meant to help me. It’s as if my body still believes it’s being poisoned.
Over time, I learned how to manage the lingering effects of my vaccinations. I no longer experience seizures, hair loss, weight loss, or the leg and stomach pains that once plagued me. While I still have eyesight issues and my hearing will never be the same, I know it could have been so much worse.
I still struggle with anxiety and OCD tendencies almost daily, but I’ve found ways to deal with my emotions naturally with a selection of essential oils and breathing techniques. Slowly, I’ve learned to let go and put the needs of others before my own. Through God’s grace, I’ve learned to surrender control to Him, breathe and pray through my emotions, and navigate my frustrations or fears with faith.
I don’t have to be the one in control, and I am not alone. I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful, precious children, and I am surrounded by an incredible community of kind, uplifting people. I never want to take that blessing for granted.
This journey has been long and painful for both me and my family, but through it all, God always remained faithful. I am still learning, still researching, and still finding ways to heal—but I truly believe I am on a healthy path, and for that, I am so incredibly grateful.
Thank you to everyone who has walked this road with me, especially my family\. We’ve endured so much together to get here; through it all, y’all never gave up on me.
If you’re the parent of a vaccine-injured child, please have compassion for yourself. You didn’t know what you didn’t know—but now, you have the power to make a difference. Your story is valuable. Your experience can help someone else. Use your voice as a force for good.
If you or a loved one has been vaccine-injured, please know you are not alone. I stayed silent for too long, but I’ve learned that my voice matters—and so does yours. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here. Drop a note in the comments below and, if you’d like to learn more about what has helped me on my journey, just reach out.
– Abigail
A Mom’s Reflection
Rereading Abigail story brings it all rushing back—the stomach pains, the thinning hair, the mysterious health issues, the unpredictable crying jags, the irrational obsessions, the inability to truly connect with her, and the overwhelming helplessness of not knowing how to make it all right.
As parents, we would have done anything to take away her pain. Instead, we spent years searching for answers, questioning ourselves, and praying that somehow we could help our little girl find her way back.
This experience profoundly shaped all of our lives, but as you can see, none was more impacted than Abigail.
For many years, she felt misunderstood. Even within our large, loving family, she often felt strangely isolated and alone. What I hope you’ll see through her story is not simply a discussion about vaccines, but the story of a little girl who struggled, a family who searched tirelessly for answers, and a God who remained faithful through it all.
In many ways, Abigail’s challenges changed the course of our entire family. As we searched for ways to help her, God led us down a path we never expected—teaching us about nutrition, food sensitivities, natural living, herbs, essential oils, and the remarkable ways our bodies were designed to heal and thrive. What began as a desperate search for answers eventually grew into a lifelong passion for helping other families navigate their own wellness journeys.
Today, Abigail is a devoted wife, a loving mother, and one of the most compassionate people I know. The challenges she faced did not define her, but they did help shape the woman she has become. Her struggles gave her a deep empathy for those who feel unseen, unheard, or misunderstood.
Whether her story resonates with your own experiences or not, I hope you’ll extend her the same grace, kindness, and respect that she has extended to others by sharing it.
Thank you for taking the time to listen.
If you’d like to learn more, I’ve included several resources below.
— Mom
