By JAMIE MUNKS
Lisa Schryver Ericzon's daughter, Jessica F., died two years ago, and Ms. Ericzon says she believes the Gardasil vaccine was the cause. Ms. Ericzon, Omar, has spent the past two years researching the vaccine and connecting with other parents, in an effort to get her concerns about the vaccine heard.
"We're getting along. We take it day by day," Ms. Ericzon said. "I've done a lot of research since Jessie died. We cannot prove it, but it seems that there are way too many girls who have been injured or died after getting this vaccine."
Ms. Ericzon returned home after work Feb. 22, 2008, to find Jessica, 17, dead on the bathroom floor. It was two days after receiving her third dose of Gardasil. Jessica had been complaining of pain in the back of her head since receiving the shot, Ms. Ericzon said.
She said she believes that Gardasil was to blame for Jessica's death, and during her research on the vaccine, she has tried to contact agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to voice her concerns.
Gardasil, which is produced by Merck & Co., is a vaccination against four types of human papillomavirus, which can lead to cervical cancer. Gardasil is administered in a three-shot series to females between the ages of 9 and 26.
Jessica's autopsy results didn't yield a specific cause of death, and toxicology reports were inconclusive. After performing the autopsy, Jefferson County Medical Examiner Dr. Samuel A. Livingstone reported the death to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, or VAERS.
