Desiree Jennings, Washington Redskin's Cheerleader Had A Flu Shot That Left Her With A Rare Neurological Condition! Please Help To Pass This News On

Loudoun Times-Mirror
The Flu, a Shot to the System
written by Nicholas Graham
Wednesday October 14th, 2009

This is a sad story about Washington Redskins Cheerleader Ambassador Desiree. Please keep her in your prayers!!!

Desiree Jennings can whisper softly, but not talk loudly.

She can – once she gets going -- run several miles, but she can’t walk the first five feet normally.

She can move sideways and backward, but not forward.

Desiree can still hope and dream, but realizes that her life the way it was may never come back.

Desiree, of Ashburn, is a one-in-a-million person. Tragically so.

She is “the one.” Apparently, the one person in a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control, who may have developed severe and possibly life-threatening side effects from getting a seasonal flu vaccine seven weeks ago at a Safeway in Reston.

It’s easy to understand why Desiree felt compelled to get a flu shot. Warnings that this fall would see a harsh seasonal flu season -- compounded by growing concerns about the impact of the new H1N1 flu – have driven healthy people to get inoculated, and especially those in defined high-risk groups.

Then, the statistics: 36,000 die annually of the seasonal flu; 200,000 people will be hospitalized with the flu; and more than 100 million seasonal flu vaccinations will be given. Loudoun's health director, Dr. David Goodfriend, has already gotten his, as well as his H1N1 vaccination.

Already, since Aug. 30, the CDC reports about 950 people have died from flu-associated pneumonia or flu symptoms.

Desiree, a young, healthy and active 25-year-old, says she was not in a high-risk group, had no pre-existing, underlying health issues, and was not on medication at the time of her shot. Since April, Desiree has also been a Washington Redskins “Ambassador” – a physically demanding job that trains you to one day become a full cheerleader.

As for the seasonal flu shot, she got it to earn "healthy living" points for her work health plan, which gives perks for each level of "wellness" that is attained.

The shot in the arm itself, on Aug. 23, was uneventful. Ten days later, Desiree says she got flu-like symptoms – fever, vomiting, weakness in her legs and body aches.

On returning to work at AOL after Labor Day, she was even more fatigued. She passed out at work, and again at home. Her husband, Brendan, rushed her to Urgent Care nearby as she went into convulsions. She was immediately transferred to Inova Loudoun Hospital, where she spent three days.

The doctors ran test after test, and asked question after question. She was screened for Lyme disease, lupus and other ailments. All came back negative.

Desiree proceeded to go back to Inova Loudoun Hospital, then Inova Fairfax Hospital, then Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, to see specialists. None could give a diagnosis. She estimates she has seen 60 medical personnel since mid-September.

Desiree has seen her primary care physician, physical therapists, speech therapists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists and a bevy of nurses.

Amazingly, it was her physical therapist who provided the clinical diagnosis: Dystonia.

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