Kristi Dobbs highlights the severe challenges and emotional toll faced by vaccine-injured individuals when seeking appropriate medical care and validation.
Through her journey, Kristi emphasizes the importance of community support, which she found in React 19, as a crucial part of healing.
The podcast underscores the shift towards functional medicine and dietary changes that Kristi embraced, significantly improving her health outcomes after her injury.
Deep dives
Personal Journey Before Vaccination
In 2020, Christy Dobbs, a pediatric dental hygienist, was thriving in her active lifestyle while caring for her young family. The onset of COVID-19 heightened her concerns, particularly as her mother-in-law's battle with acute myeloid leukemia made any virus potentially life-threatening. To safeguard her family, Christy opted to homeschool her children after schools closed during the pandemic. She was later encouraged by a local health department to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, feeling compelled to protect her family and community.
Immediate Vaccination Reaction
Christy experienced alarming symptoms shortly after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on January 18, 2021, beginning with unusual tingling in her arm that progressed to severe heart palpitations and difficulty breathing. Healthcare professionals misattributed her symptoms to panic attacks and offered minimal support, failing to recognize the severity of her reaction. Following the incident, she felt extreme fatigue and developed persistent tremors in her hands, leading her to seek medical assistance from various professionals. Despite her extensive medical history with vaccines, she faced dismissal from several practitioners, which deepened her frustration.
Recognizing Vaccine Injury
Christy's turning point came when a hometown chiropractor acknowledged her symptoms as a potential vaccine injury, providing validation that had been elusive in her previous medical encounters. The connection between her vaccination and subsequent health issues became clearer as she began seeking support and information online, discovering a community of individuals with similar experiences. This led to her involvement in REACT-19, a group formed to support individuals affected by vaccine injuries. Sharing her story alongside others created a network of support that emphasized shared experiences and collective healing.
Healing Through Functional Medicine
After facing dismissal from traditional medical routes, Christy turned to functional medicine as a path for healing, focusing on gut health and alternative therapies. She adopted dietary changes that significantly improved her energy levels and mental clarity while also addressing her debilitating symptoms through supplements. Collaborating with a functional medicine doctor allowed her to identify underlying issues, including small fiber neuropathy and dysautonomia, which were contributing to her condition. Though her recovery journey continues, she feels more empowered and recognizes the importance of advocating for one’s own health.
Advocacy and Community Support
Christy emphasizes the significance of speaking up and listening in her advocacy efforts with REACT-19, as many individuals remain unaware they are vaccine-injured. The organization not only supports vaccine-injured individuals but also opens its arms to those suffering from long COVID, fostering a sense of community among affected individuals. REACT-19 has established a Care Fund to provide financial support for those in need, surpassing monetary contributions seen in government programs. By sharing stories and experiences, they challenge societal stigma and push for transparency in healthcare.
Joining the podcast this week is Kristi Dobbs, a dental hygienist who was severely injured by the COVID-19 shot in January 2021. Kristi reached out to many for help, including NIH itself, but was gaslit and censored repeatedly. She has found the most healing through dietary changes and through the community she helped form, React 19.
In our discussion, Kristi sheds light on the common difficulties the vaccine injured face in receiving medical help, and the emotional and spiritual toll that results. Kristi currently serves at React 19’s board secretary and is now an integrative dental hygienist, having completely changed the way she approached dentistry as a result of her vaccine injury experience.
