Our Autism Story: A ‘Textbook Case’ of MMR Vaccine Injury

By E.E.

Editor’s note: In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, we invited members of the CHD community to submit their personal stories about autism, and how it has affected them and their families.

Today I read the RFK Jr. interview article “Mercury, Vaccines and the CDC’s Worst Nightmare,” and wanted to share our story with you.

Our son was born in 2004. He received the MMR vaccine when he was approaching 2 years old. A week after that he had a fever and a rash. He also stopped talking, pointing at things and making eye contact.

He was diagnosed at approximately 3 years old with autism (and later ADHA, OCD tendencies and allergies, including to nuts, and resulting in anaphylaxis).

I reached out to a law group I’d heard about, Ajalat & Ajalat who handle vaccine injury cases. They asked for our pediatrician’s medical notes and files.

Upon review, they said we had a “textbook case” documenting perfectly how our child had been developing normally, had the MMR, developed fever, rash and stopped speaking about 7 days later — but they could not help us: The statute of limitation had been reached.

Our child was now 4 or so. They wondered what took me so long. I think I said it was because for the last few years I’d been trying to cure autism on my own — that was what it felt like — and that I’d only just heard of them and this kind of law.

By that time, we’d retained an educational attorney. Our son attended a developmental preschool with other children who had diagnosed issues. Years of all the therapies we could possibly manage, many thousands of dollars — and miles — later, we are still trying.

He’s grown up now, 21 years old and at college. It has not been easy, and it still isn’t.

Social skills are difficult to master, and attention and focus are elusive, making college pretty tough.

When other parents asked why I’d bother questioning vaccines, doctors and pharmaceutical companies, I’d ask them: If there are no problems, why are vaccine companies paying out?

Got funny looks and no answers. Maybe they didn’t really have a clue, or maybe they had valid fears about how messy, painful and complex things might get if they did.

The RFK Jr. interview I read, and the audios overheard in snippets here and there on the radio (mainly conservative talk radio) are some of the little real validation in about 18 years or so.

Thank you.

(Everything here is to the best of my knowledge.)

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Children’s Health Defense.

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