Still Want a Flu Shot?

This year’s flu season is in full swing right now and it’s been greatly amplified by the H1N1 pandemonium. Millions of people everywhere are rushing to the nearest available location to receive a flu shot, and many more are doing the same for the H1N1 shot as well. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with this, in fact it’s a smart way to protect ourselves from becoming sick throughout the season. But, how would you feel if your flu shot caused you to develop an extremely rare neurological disease? Well that’s what happened a 26 year old woman named Desiree Jennings in Ashburn, Virginia. Ten days after receiving a seasonal flu shot, Desiree developed a very rare disease called Dystonia. Now, I had never in my life heard of this disease or what its effects are, so I did a little outside research. After looking up the disease and seeing the effects it has on its victims, I feel so terrible for this young and beautiful woman. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder in which muscle contractions cause repetitive movements, such as twisting and just all around abnormal postures. It sounds bad enough just from reading the description, but when I saw the news story online about Desiree and her tragic story, it really gives you a perspective on how hard life would be. However, there are also some strange elements to the disease, although I am unsure if they are perhaps just specific to Desiree’s case. In the video it is quite clear that she fits the profile of the disease with her sporadic movements and broken speech, yet for some strange reason, she can walk backwards perfectly and also run with no problem. She can also talk perfectly while running! It is only when she faces forwards, and is not running that she experiences the violent muscle jerks. You guys can see the video here.

I just can’t imagine what I would do if I was this woman. She is only 26 years old for God’s sake! She has her whole life in front of her, but unfortunately she now has to live with this terribly disabling disease. She was just married two years ago, and to top it all off, she was in the process of becoming a professional cheerleader for the Washington Redskins. I find it amazing that this all came about because of a simple flu shot; something we have all gotten at some point in our lives. Yes, the odds were practically one in a million, but I think it’s just so unfortunate that Desiree had to be that measly .000001% chance. I do have the utmost respect for her though. After watching her interview and listening to her, it is easy to see that she is a fighter. It’s obvious that she is saddened and upset, but at the same time you can also see that she is the type of person that will take this head on and do everything she can to live her life to the fullest. It would be so easy for someone in her situation to roll over and call it quits, to just give up, but she won’t do that and I greatly applaud her. It’s funny how things work out in this crazy world. How sometimes the most tragic situations can fall upon some of the least deserving people. Whether you believe in God or not, I don’t really know, but there is a common saying that the “Lord works in mysterious ways.”

We will never truly know why certain things happen to some people and not others, but perhaps that’s what makes life so exciting and mysterious. After having gone through a few tragedies myself I have learned a great lesson, and that is to live your life like everyday may be your last. Tell your friends and family you love them every chance you get, because you never know when it may be your last. Tomorrow is promised to no one, and unfortunately I don’t think enough people in the world realize this, but instead take it for granted. So for Desiree, I do feel sorrowful. Like I said before, it is so tragic to see such a young, ambitious, beautiful woman plagued with such a terrible disease. So, I’ll leave you with this, it’s something I try to live my own life by: Live for today, hope for tomorrow, and leave no regrets.