A Fateful Discovery.

I recently heard a joke about a lady who was praying to God to help her win the lottery to solve her financial problems. Each week she would plead with Him to let her win, but nothing happened. This went on, week after week, while she slowly lost everything. She lost her furniture, she lost her car, her house was in foreclosure, and so on.

Finally in utter dismay, unable to hide her bitter disappointment, she cried out…

“Please tell me God, why have you forsaken me?”

Suddenly the heavens parted and a bright light beamed down on her, and the voice of God answered,

“Please help me out here lady, and go buy a ticket!”

I really don’t think that God condones gambling or putting a lot of faith in such ventures, but I can relate to that funny story because I think it underscores the idea, that to solve our problems we have to be paying attention, and ready to do our part .

I am thankful that Renée was paying attention one day in the summer of 1989. She was looking at our mail that day, when she noticed a small article in a Health Department newsletter we were receiving monthly. It was entitled, ‘The Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.’ I had glanced at it earlier, but I hadn’t taken the time to read it. She did.

“Look at this,” she said excitedly,

“…there is some kind of a law that helps families who have a child that has been injured by a vaccination.

Wouldn’t that be us?” she finished.

A Shocking Fact.

I must admit, I was pretty skeptical, but I picked it up and began to read.

It seems that there had been a case in Twin Falls, Idaho, that had resulted in a class action law suit. In this case, a small boy who received his DPT vaccinations in the Fall of 1978… I sat bolt upright, with my mind racing! Renée was absolutely correct.

It had been the fall of 1978 when Jessica’s problems began, the same as the boy in Twin Falls, and hadn’t our neurologist, Dr. Burton, said something about being an expert witness in a case similar to Jessica’s in Twin Falls? I concluded it must be the same case mentioned in the article.

At the end of the article, there was a contact number for more information, I decided to check it out.

I picked up the phone and dialed the number. I still have the note I wrote to myself as I waited on the phone that day. I had scribbled on a notepad…

‘…Has any child in Idaho ever successfully pursued this ‘vaccine Injury claim’ procedure?’

The lady at the Health Department was both informative and encouraging. She explained that all legal fees we encountered would be reimbursed if we could prove our case, even though no one in Idaho had yet filed a claim. We would be the first.

I thought to myself, ‘What do we have to lose?’

We decided to go for it.

Facing the Challenges.

Because of our exhaustive attempts to find the ‘answer’ to Jessica’s medical dilemma, we were pretty confident in our medical conclusions about Jessica’s injuries and the cause of them: her DPT vaccinations. We had moved heaven and earth and eliminated every other possible or conjectured theory. This would be the acid test, and if nothing else, it would settle any remaining doubts, and of course, the financial impact of Jessica’s care was staggering!

We needed help.

To say that there is a huge financial impact in raising a handicapped child would be an understatement. You just deal with it as best you can. Insurance helps some, hospitals and doctors will work with you to a point, but the costs are steep, relentless and never ending. Discouragement is always waiting around the corner, since a medical crisis can come upon you suddenly and without warning.

Then there are the ‘normal’ day to day expenses: things like special food, supplements, personal care items and of course the daily medications. Jessica has taken expensive medication four times daily to help control her seizures, from about age four months. It adds up.

Don’t forget the blood tests and other tests to monitor the medications, and the check-ups and x-rays. Most children like Jessica, who experience developmental delays, need ‘therapy’ to proceed. Everything from physical muscle and bone stimulation to proper eating techniques. All of this stuff costs money. Lots and lots of money!

The question of who provides the ongoing daily care is an important one both personally and financially. You could hire someone to do it, have your child become a ward of the state, never an option for us! Or you can work from home so that you can personally provide the care needed in a loving and caring ‘family’ frame of reference. No one could love Jessica like we loved her.

We chose the latter option. I left behind the corporate world and my career and began to work from home as much as possible. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to share the load with Renée more, and let her have some freedom and balance in her life. It just seemed like the right thing to do for us.

The Financial Realities.

Unfortunately, I didn’t always provide financially in the way I would have liked. Our kids Jamie and Jon, helped me many times. One summer our son Jon, who was fifteen, voluntarily went off to Alaska to work in a fish processing plant. He shoveled fish guts on what is politely called the ‘slime line’, sometimes working double shifts, to send home money to help make our house payments.

So maybe now you can see why the ‘Vaccine Injury Act’ caught my attention. It seemed to offer help and hope at a time that we really needed it.

Jessica was about twelve years old at the time, and we knew there were many years of tough sledding ahead.

Next Week: “Our Personal Crusade Begins… the Trial.”

I will continue to share the answers to the question “What happened to Jessica?” every Monday in the weeks ahead. When I have received sufficient feedback and questions, I will add a Thursday episode, as needed, to this blog, focused on answering your questions and comments.

Thanks for your interest.

Jim, Renee & Jessica