Every year, as part of my routine annual physical, I get a flu shot. But after reading about what happened to 19-year-old Chandler Webb, I may have to reconsider. You see, Chandler got a flu shot too and then he got so sick that he was rushed to a Salt Lake City, Utah hospital where he spent a month in a coma before his mother decided to take him off life support last week. His official cause of death was swelling of the brain, which his mother, Lori Webb, is convinced was caused by the flu shot.
Does that mean the vaccine is not safe?
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Not necessarily, but we should all be aware that adverse side effects are a reality, even though rare. Of the average 130 million American who get the flu shot every year, about 140 experience serious reactions. Unfortunately, it seems as if Chandler was one of them, according to his mom.
None of the six neurologists who treated the teen–who was preparing to go on his first mission trip for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–were able to determine what caused his brain to swell despite checking for several illnesses including Lyme disease and West Nile virus.
Lori says her son got sick the day after he got the flu shot. The healthy teen who went to the gym five times a week was suddenly bed-ridden with severe headaches and extreme vomiting. "I've never been so scared in all my life to see my son go through so much," the mourning mom told The Salt Lake Tribune after her son passed away last Tuesday. And I can't even imagine …
It's important to note, however, that even though Chandler's story is terrifying, the flu kills thousands of people every year, which means that not getting vaccinated could make matters even worse. It's a tough decision for sure, so make sure you're as informed as possible before you make it.
Image via FoxNews.com
