Woman with rare disease claims she’s now blind and bruised after doctors made her get 3 vaccines

A 23-year-old Florida woman reportedly had to receive multiple vaccines before receiving a blood transfusion for a rare autoimmune disorder that left her temporarily blind and with injuries to her body.

Alexis Lorenze was diagnosed with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) in January.

This extremely rare condition, affecting about one in a million people, causes the immune system to attack and destroy red blood cells.

Earlier this month, Lorenze reportedly traveled to California for a blood transfusion to replace her damaged blood cells.

He claimed that upon arriving at UCI Medical, doctors told him he could not receive a blood transfusion until he had received vaccines for tetanus, pneumonia and meningitis. All of these vaccines would be given simultaneously.

He said that within 10 minutes of receiving the vaccination he began experiencing dangerous symptoms: both his eyes went dark, his jaw locked, he began vomiting, and his body swelled and bruised.

Medical experts have expressed concern about the potential risks of administering multiple vaccines at once, particularly in patients with autoimmune conditions such as PNH, as these patients may have a heightened immune response, leading to serious complications.

One such complication, a cytokine storm, can lead the body to attack its own healthy tissues and organs. This can be life-threatening and cause irreversible damage.

“While it is safe for most people to receive these vaccines together, in his case, the immune response could have been too much and could have led to complications,” said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical advisor at Fortune Recommends Health. told the Daily Mail,

“To avoid overloading his body, it is advisable to space out vaccines and closely monitor any worsening symptoms.”

Doctors have suggested that the vaccines themselves were not the direct cause of Lorenze's severe reactions, suggesting that his PNH condition may have been unstable, and the vaccinations may have triggered a flare-up or allergic reaction.

“There’s also the possibility that what she’s experiencing isn’t just due to the vaccines,” Dr. Dasgupta said.

“PNH can flare up on its own, and we have to consider whether his condition is what's causing his severe reaction. Both factors (his PNH and the vaccine) need to be weighed carefully when looking at what's going on.”

Lorenze's case has sparked significant debate, particularly regarding the hospital's reasoning for such an urgent need for vaccines.

Meningitis and pneumonia vaccines are often recommended for certain high-risk groups, including people undergoing immunotherapy, because they are more susceptible to infection. However, many medical experts questioned whether the vaccines were really necessary before her blood transfusion.

In a series of viral TikTok videos, Lorenz claimed she had not received any vaccines since childhood. Her family has claimed that the hospital insisted that vaccinations were mandatory for the transfusion, but some experts argue that this is not a standard requirement.

Lorenze's family now wants to transfer him to a private hospital in Los Angeles for further treatment, as he is experiencing pain and swelling.