What was your life like prior to receiving the C19 inoculation?

I was the owner of a full service photography studio that employed a number of photographers, including: two award winning wedding photographers, videographers, new photographers entering the field, and myself and my wife. It was a very successful company—we were booming! We also planted a church with some others and were active in our community.

I was a very active and healthy 41 year old father of two young daughters, who never had any major health problems. I enjoyed kayaking and trips up north for long hiking excursions. I also built landscape ponds on the side—always on my feet.

Explain the circumstances around receiving the C19 inoculation.

In 2020, we lost 92% of our revenue in our company due to the lockdowns. We no longer had any work for our photographers and we went from a $200k/year business, to $0. We were not eligible for any financial assistance from the government because of how our company was set up—we were left on our own.

My wife began to work part time at our church and I invested some of the capital that was left in my company, into landscaping work. This allowed me to work outside and avoid the worry of being locked down. However, in September 2021, when it was mandated that vaccines were required to enter restaurants and wedding venues, I had to choose between getting the vaccine or losing the last bit of work we had left. Even though I was reluctant to take the vaccine, I didn’t want to lose the business we had built over 10 years. We were struggling to pay the bills and had spent our savings. Because I believed I would lose everything if I didn’t, I decided to get the vaccine.

Describe your injury, if diagnosed and/or the symptoms you have experienced.

After receiving the vaccine I was fine for the first few days, but after that, I began to feel light headed. While sitting, I could feel my heart racing and I started to get some chest pains. It felt like a ratchet strap was on my chest at times. I would wake up in the middle of sleeping, with no breath, and the best way I can explain it, is that my blood felt thick in my neck—like it was molasses, as my heart pumped. I felt a pins and needles sensation and my muscles were randomly twitching. This grew worse over time until I experienced excruciating nerve pain—especially in my lower back and legs. All my joints were inflamed and stiff. I had severe back and joint pain, it became difficult to walk or climb the stairs, and I started to suffer from incontinence. My balance was very bad and I fell down, hurting myself several times. Over the next few days these symptoms got worse and my ankles started to swell up. 

About a week later, I was on a photoshoot when I became so lightheaded for the first time in my life from walking in a manner I did regularly! I almost passed out, was short of breath, and had a very hard time thinking straight. 

I became concerned and my wife insisted that I see the doctor. However, at the time, I also had a very expensive machine I was using for landscaping and couldn’t afford to have it sit, so I planned to go as soon as I was done with it. I was used to being very healthy and assumed I was experiencing side effects that would soon pass. I had never experienced heart failure, so I wasn’t able to recognize the signs.

The following week I began to feel better, but still had these symptoms—just to a lesser degree.

My wife had arranged for us to go for the second dose. This is when I spoke to the pharmacist about my symptoms, who advised me to speak to an MD right away. He recommended a local vaccine center where an MD was administering the shots. The MD told me I was experiencing what seemed to be myocarditis and showed me a symptoms list for myocarditis, which included every symptom I was having. She said I would not be able to get the second dose and wrote a temporary exemption letter on the spot. I was told to see my family doctor and to ask to have a cardiologist examination scheduled.

My first experience at the family doctors was slightly stressful because she said she had not seen this situation before and I felt like I had to defend myself. This was the beginning of many times I would have to explain my situation to doctors or random strangers at places I worked while showing letters from doctors. It was a horrible experience to have to show my medical situation to people at a door not knowing how they would react!

Finally, after explaining my situation to my doctor, they wrote me a letter that would allow me to work in the interim, before I could get an appointment with them. The first appointment took time to get in and I was referred to a cardiologist. This letter would be shown to many people I didn’t know on a regular basis, which stressed me out to a degree I cannot explain!

The cardiologist also said I likely had myocarditis and he thankfully wrote me an exemption letter in order to allow me to work while I was being tested. My previous letter from my doctor expired at the time of the cardiologist appointment, so I was worried that I would have to cancel work if I wasn’t permitted a letter. It felt like my life was in the hands of everyone but myself—I was not able to choose on my own—someone else would tell me if I could work. It was not pleasant!

At this point, it was weeks into the ordeal, and although I still had symptoms day by day, they were becoming less and less severe.

It took a number of weeks until I got in for an ultrasound on my heart. A number of weeks after that, I was put on a heart monitor. Then eventually, months after the whole ordeal started, I had an MRI.

Are you currently or have you received any treatment for your injury or symptoms?

The doctors told me that by the time I was done with everything I wouldn’t need treatments because myocarditis was temporary and would go away. Mostly, the treatments were to look for scar tissue and make sure there was nothing else going on.

By the time I received the MRI, the mandates were pulled back and I no longer had to show doctors notes and explain myself everywhere I went. The cardiologist recommended I do not get a second dose of I didn’t want to, but he did leave the decision up to me. I respected all the doctors I encountered along the way, including the ones who gave the vaccine. They seemed to be honest and to be doing their best, as we all were, during a very hard time.

The cardiologist directed me to a place where I could get a permanent exception. He would speak on my behalf if need be to have one made. I attempted to contact them, but it was difficult to reach anyone, so I finally gave up. By that time I no longer needed an exemption to work anymore. I worry, however, that if they ever do this again, I would need to pull these records and get one.

Explain what your life has been like since receiving the C19 inoculation.

After thinking a long time about what happened to me I felt like I should share my story.

I have a hard time doing a job I love. I have some level of PTSD as I was worried for a long time I wouldn’t be able to work, or get turned away from work, because of some technicality. It was a very stressful time!

I did have some positive experiences, including good doctors who seemed like they were doing their best, and a helpful community that kept us on our feet.

We are still recovering financially from what became an 8-year setback. My photography business is now something we do on a part time basis. We’ve decided to grow our landscaping company, which is doing well, and in 2023 I will be able to take an income once again.

I don’t envy our political leaders for making the choices they did—I’m not mad at them. I’m not angry at anyone.

The worst part of all of this was that I felt I didn’t have a voice in the public square—that any stories like mine were not wanted.

Thanks for letting me tell my story here!