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• Woman Disabled by Reaction to Flu Shot

Celebs Reach Out to Desiree Jennings

There are new developments in the story FOX 5 first brought you…

Woman Disabled by Flu Shot Reaction

A few weeks ago, Desiree Jennings was training for a half …

Celebs Reach Out to Desiree Jennings

Local woman disabled by flu vaccine reaction

Updated: Friday, 16 Oct 2009, 10:07 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 6:07 PM EDT

• Claudia Coffey
• By CLAUDIA COFFEY/myfoxdc

WASHINGTON, D.C. – There are new developments in the story FOX 5 first brought you about a Redskins cheerleader left disabled by a seasonal flu shot.   Now, Desiree Jennings is adding a boost of star power to her cause.

An organization founded by actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey is so touched by Desiree’s story that they have reached out to offer not only words of encouragement, but the organization’s support.

Desiree Jennings’ struggle is getting worldwide attention.

“It’s been unreal,” Jennings told FOX 5. “I didn’t think anyone would even care about my story. People are sitting there crying and I can’t understand why.”

• TO WATCH FOX 5′S ORIGINAL STORY ON DESIREE JENNINGS AND HER CONDITION, FOLLOW THIS LINK.

She first spoke to FOX 5 about a severe reaction she suffered after getting a seasonal flu shot. Now, both Fairfax Inova and Johns Hopkins say Desiree suffers from a rare neurological disorder as a result of the flu shot. The condition is called dystonia, and it affects every aspect of her ability to function. One day after our story aired, Generation Rescue, an organization founded by actors Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey , reached out to Desiree.

“They are extremely helpful,” Desiree said. “They have a lot of doctors that deal with vaccine interactions, and they have sent us so many other stories similar to mine. Unfortunately a lot of theirs are with children, which is worse. I can understand it happening to an adult, but not a little child that hasn’t had a chance to live their life and can’t speak, so I want to speak. They can’t, and I want to help them, too,” says Jennings.

McCarthy’s 7-year-old son Evan is autistic. She founded Generation Rescue along with actor Jim Carrey to educate people about ways to reverse autism. The organization is now raising awareness over the safety of vaccines including flu shots. Generation Rescue’s President Stan Kurtz was so touched by Desiree’s story, the organization is hoping to fly her to Los Angeles for treatment.

“And the story is, anyone that sees– it is just so compelling, Jenny was crying over it,” says Kurtz.

Kurtz also believes with the proper treatment, some of her symptoms may be reversible.

“Well, unfortunately we happen to be very good at handling vaccine injury. We’ve got a lot of doctors that have experience in doing that, so our doctors and our resources are completely available to her, and we’re going do everything we can to give her a lot of options to, to help take care to help recover from this condition as best we can,” says Kurtz.

For Desiree, it’s a glimmer of hope and a chance at getting her life back.

“Get back to my normal life, but still have had a chance to warn people as well,” says Jennings.

Still, the Centers for Disease Control says the seasonal flu vaccine is safe and recommends it to the general public. Desiree, in the meantime, wants to get her message out about her concerns over the safety of vaccines.

GENERATION RESCUE HAS SET UP A SPECIAL WEB PAGE IN DESIREE’S NAME.  IT INCLUDES A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM DESIREE, AND MORE ON HER STORY, PLUS LINKS TO FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DYSTONIA.  TO VISIT DESIREE’S PAGE ON GENERATIONRESCUE.ORG, CLICK HERE.