I am 52 years old from Regina, Saskatchewan. I got my first vaccine on May 7th 2021, I didn’t want to get sick and end up in the hospital with COVID as I was planning to return to work doing metal siding. The first vaccine I got was Pfizer on a Friday morning. Roughly 12 hours after I was at home watching TV and all of a sudden the top of my head felt like it was on fire, the sensation rushed through my whole body. It did that for 45 minutes before I decided to call 811.
They told me they were normal symptoms and the vaccine affects everyone differently. The next morning I woke up, went to grab my water bottle and I could not close my hands around it. Literally my whole entire body was aching, every muscle and every joint. That lasted all of Saturday and Sunday. On the Monday I went to move the arm I received the vaccine in and I could not lift it. That day I became violently ill to my stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. I’ve never experienced anything like that. It was really intense, I couldn’t even keep down water. That lasted until Thursday and after that went away my body felt so run down and I had absolutely no energy. I was sleeping 18 hours a day, I couldn’t eat or drink anything. It took nine days after I got the vaccine to start to feel normal again. I thought okay, that’s all over with now. I felt it was worth it to be protected, as that’s what the government told us.
On July 16th my step-mother had phoned me and said they were giving COVID vaccines at the Northgate mall in Regina. The reason I reluctantly went to get the second one is because the government was pushing us, saying if we didn’t get it we wouldn’t be able to go to restaurants, grocery stores, and doctors’ appointments without getting vaccinated. I realized I was going to need proof of full vaccination to participate in society again.
Saskatchewan had one of the strictest lockdowns. I was eager to get back to normal. Around 9:30am I went to the mall and got the second vaccination which was Moderna. I questioned the nurse before and told her I had Pfizer before and whether it was ok to take a Moderna one now. She assured me it was perfectly fine and safe. When she was giving me the vaccine I immediately felt a burning sensation in my arm. I sat for the required 15 minutes and my arm continued to burn the whole time. I told the nurse and she said that happens to some people, if you’re not having any type of allergic reaction after 15 minutes you can leave. At the 20 minute mark it started to go away. A friend and I left the mall and went to Giant Tiger (department store) to fill up an empty water bottle. I reached in the back of the truck to grab it and I couldn’t lift it. My friend had to help, when we were inside Giant Tiger and I had dizziness and a severely upset stomach. I started to get paralysis in my right arm where I got the vaccine. It felt a more intense reaction than the first one.
Within an hour I had a severe upset stomach and diarrhea, I had experienced this after a couple days with Pfizer. This continued through to the 19th, I had to call a friend to stay with me just in case I had to go to the ER, or I fell or quit breathing, I was so sick.
I woke up on the morning of the 20th and I felt like I had to go to the washroom. I got up out of bed, walked into the washroom and sat down on the toilet. The instant I touched the toilet seat it felt like someone poured gasoline on my groin, crotch and legs and lit me on fire.
Went to stand up and I couldn’t move my legs. I fell forward and hit the floor. My friend came in and was asking what’s wrong, I was laying on the floor screaming and hollering in pain. My friend was going to take me to the ER, he started to put on my socks and shoes. I was screaming in pain, it literally felt like someone had a blow torch all over my legs and feet. He ended up calling the ambulance. When I got to the ER they did a bunch of tests and the doctors told me I had suffered a stroke in my spinal column. The doctor asked if I had a COVID vaccine recently and he asked if it was Moderna. I said yes and he shook his head. I asked the doctor if he thought this is what caused it and his exact words were, “There is no doubt”. In his mind the Moderna vaccine played a role in what happened to me. He said it built pressure in my spinal column and the valve that lets blood in and out couldn’t function properly which caused me to have a stroke. I was in so much pain I didn’t bother to make the effort to ask the doctor to report it. They said they needed to ship me to Saskatoon and they had a doctor come from Vancouver and perform a surgery on my spinal column. I had two surgical teams working on me, it was a nine hour surgery on August 3rd. I was in Wascana rehabilitation center until November when I was released.
When I was in the hospital I got bed sores. It was very painful. They are finally healing.
They sent me home with a wheel chair and a pair of forearm crutches. At the rehab center there were lots of people suffering strokes shortly after receiving the vaccine. Their condition would improve then they would get another shot and end up back in rehab after suffering another stroke.
I have a self-catheter now, they taught me how to use it. I have constant urinary tract infections. I’m in a wheelchair 95 percent of the time now. I use my walker sometimes but I can’t go too far or my back gives out and my legs get shaky. This has destroyed my life physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. If it wasn’t for my friend Terry I wouldn’t be able to leave my apartment and go to my appointments. I’m so grateful to him. He gave me his moms old walker and I’m trying to buy a new one so I’ve started a go-fund me as well as to help cover this and other financial costs. I get $1100 a month in disability to live off. I pay $750 rent, plus the phone bill, food and travel expenses to my medical appointments. I’ve had to turn to the local food bank, I’ve always been the one who’s donated and now I have to utilize it. I will never ever get another shot, period. It has been a living hell.
My friend wrote a letter to the local media to see if they would be interested in writing a story on this and got no response.
What makes my day a lot of the time is to hear words of encouragement from people. I now suffer from depression, I’ve been battling that as well. I’m in chronic pain constantly, I’m on multiple pain medications.
I prefer to use cannabis for my pain management, I find it works better with less side effects.
Before this I was a motocross racer for a lot of years. I used to enjoy riding snowmobiles and Harley Davidsons. I’ve had to get rid of all of these things except for my Harley. I’ve worked so hard for it. What if there is a miraculous possibility that I can ride again?
For anyone else going through this, don’t give up. Turn to all the support in the community and don’t let depression settle in. Remain positive and be sympathetic to other people. Everyone has their own story and path. Just being nice to people and giving kind words can boost their spirit as well.