ABSTRACT
The video begins with gentle piano music and a simple dedication to a friend named Gabrielle (Gabby) Swank. Information about this young woman is juxtaposed with pictures of her laughing and posing for a cheerleading picture. Then we are told that one day, this all changed. A picture of the Gardasil vaccine appears and we learn that “Gabby was diagnosed with the infl ammation of the central nervous system as a result of the Gardasil vaccines” (Gardasil 2009). We learn she is no longer a cheerleader and lives a life of constant pain, suff ering from seizures, headaches, paralysis, and other disorders. Now the picture of Gabby is not of a smiling young woman, but rather shows her in a hospital bed. We see pictures of her medications, as we learn that she now spends most of her time sleeping or seeking medical care. We learn that Gabby’s mother feels guilty for giving her daughter the vaccines, even though it was only to protect her from a family history of cervical cancer. Then the video tells us that Gabrielle knows she is dying. Again we see pictures of her before the vaccination juxtaposed with a quote from Gabby herself, “I’ve accepted the fact it’s happened to me, but I’m tired of hearing of other girls it’s happened to” (Gardasil 2009). We see more smiling photos prior to the incident and more quotes from Gabby and her family stating that if they could go back, they would not get the vaccine and would have gotten regular pap smears instead. We are told that twenty-eight women have reportedly died as a result of the vaccine and that thousands have reported reactions, but the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control) have kept the vaccine on the market because the benefi ts outweigh the risks. The viewer is asked to take action and is given the website for the National Vaccine Information Center, which gives additional information, links, and other personal stories. The video itself has 944 comments, both positive and negative. But is it true?
