It was a hot
issue here in Texas a couple of years ago. Now Gardasil, the
vaccine
against the virus that causes cervical caner, is back in the spotlight.
Gabi Swank, a
16-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, says she
and other girls are dying from the side-effects of the drug. Once
a
cheerleader with a 4.0 grade point average, she is now homebound,
suffering from seizures, migraines and even two small strokes.
Swank’s doctors
diagnosed her with cerebral vasculatis, a terminal
disease. And he blames Gardasil complications.
Now, Swank and her
mother are on a mission.
“She looked at me
with the most somber face and she said, ‘If I have to
die to save other girls, then I am prepared to do that’,” said Gabi’s
mother, Shannon Schrag.
“I want this drug
off the market,” said Gabi.
Governor Rick Perry
made headlines two years ago when he made Texas the
first state to require the vaccine against human pappilomavirus (HPV),
a sexually transmitted disease. Conservatives and parents rights
groups felt the requirement condoned pre-marital sex.
The makers of
Gardasil say the drug is safe. They’re hoping to vaccinate boys
as well.
