Dear Senator Blumenthal,

Wow. The vaccine injury hearings earlier this month were heartbreaking. Thank you for joining Senator Johnson as co-author of a bill to eliminate pharmaceutical advertising.

I admire your long-term support for the chronic Lyme disease community. I have surprising information for you, regarding chronic Lyme and the relationship to vaccine injury. I now believe IDSA is partially correct about chronic Lyme.

My Background, Sudden Disability & Brain Damage

I have an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern (’93), and a BA from Duke University (’88).

In 1996, I was a 30-year old research and strategy executive at Apple. I had a robust social life that included windsurfing in the San Francisco Bay, hiking and mountain biking.

I suffered a sudden illness and became physically disabled and brain-damaged. I took a medical leave that never ended, and went on disability.

No medical doctor could diagnose me or tell me what happened.

It was considered odd in the 1990s to have a disability with a 24/7 migraine, 24/7 nausea, 16 hours/day of non-restorative sleep, joint pain, digestive issues, and constant sinus and bladder infections.

I wanted to get back to work; people mocked me for having “Yuppie Flu,” and dismissed my suffering by saying they were “tired too.”

My Chronic Lyme Diagnosis

In 2009, I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. I tossed out the past misdiagnoses.

I have great respect for ILADS and for LLMDs, like Dr. Steve Harris. I used to rail against IDSA for saying chronic Lyme is autoimmune. “No!” I would say in anger, “it’s an infection that went undiagnosed!” I loved the film Under Our Skin.

Once I’d recovered partially, I co-authored, with the late Dr. Cheryl Koopman at Stanford, a book chapter regarding the ethics of treating Lyme disease. I became an expert in Lyme strains and testing.

It Was Really Vaccine Injury

A doctor finally noted my symptoms began two weeks after 6 vaccines I got for a vacation to Bali in May 1996. I realized I was vaccine-injured.

I found my Lyme labs. I was indeterminate on a single band, leading to a clinical diagnosis.

I started reading package inserts for the vaccines I’d had. My more than 50 disabling or life-limiting symptoms were all listed in Section 6.1 on the Hep B package insert. I was incredulous.

My worst symptom is POTS, an autoimmune condition. Today, 30 years later, it is still so poorly manageable that I don’t get restorative sleep, though I’ve tried every remedy. Though I can now run a non-profit, most days I need a 1-2 hour morning nap just to become functional, sometimes only barely so.

I’ve spent $1.5 million out-of-pocket since 1996. I will never be free of this vaccine injury.

In the 1990s, if I had heard a single thing about vaccines causing permanent disability, I would have investigated before being injected.

50% of Chronic Lyme is Probably Vaccine Injury

2010s: I opened a health consulting practice for those with chronic illness. Clients provided their medical records, Lyme testing, and vaccine record.

After carefully noting reported declines in their health — and the dates — I’d review their labs, including Lyme labs. Most couldn’t recall a tick bite. Finally, I’d say, “Now hand me your vaccine record.”

In 50% of my clients, I easily observed their health declines followed vaccination by weeks to months. Usually it was aluminum-containing vaccines.

That’s when I realized IDSA was partially correct. Chronic Lyme can be autoimmune, if it is misdiagnosed vaccine injury.

About 50% of my clients showed this vaccine injury pattern.

You’ve Supported the Vaccine Injured This Entire Time

My findings indicate your compassionate support for the chronic Lyme community has also been support for the vaccine-injured. You just didn’t know the true cause of symptoms for all of them.

Now you know.

I let Senator Johnson know I’m available to testify at any future hearings. I represent adults injured by “children’s” vaccines, a demographic that is usually overlooked.

I also have a recommendation for issuing Vaccine Safety Guidelines, à la ILADS, and would welcome a chance to give you a brief presentation. With your chronic Lyme advocacy, you are in a unique position to understand the value of treatment guidelines.

Sincerely,

Alix Mayer
Board Chair & President
Free Now Foundation
www.freenowfoundation.org

This letter was sent to Senator Blumenthal, and originally appeared on Alix’s Substack.