Guillain-Barré: A Deadly Side Effect of the Flu Shot
- Ayesha Shahid
- Feb 24
- 5 min read
The story of a fighter:
"My husband and children wanted me to take the money. I said no! I wanted to walk again."
Most of us never question the flu shot. It’s routine, just another small jab in the arm meant to protect us from illness. We go about our day, maybe rubbing the soreness away, complaining about a mild fever.
But what if that shot stole something from you?
What if, instead of preventing sickness, it took your ability to stand, to move, to live the way you once did?
For Buretta Ramirez, that nightmare became reality.
This is her story.
A Reluctant Step Into JASA
The day I walked into JASA, the elder care center, my heart was pounding.
The sun was shining, the wind pushing against me as if it knew I didn’t want to go inside. It wasn’t the building itself that scared me—it was the weight of the stories I imagined lay within its walls.
I had convinced myself that the moment I stepped inside, I’d be met with the echoes of abandonment and loss. The elderly, sitting in chairs, waiting. For visitors that never came. For memories to dull. For time to stop taking from them.
I didn't want to face it.
I had no idea what to say to them, what I could possibly offer. I didn’t want to hear stories that would haunt me, or worse, leave me feeling helpless.
This is just a National Honor Society trip. Just another event. It doesn’t matter.
I was lying to myself.
The cafeteria had been decorated for Valentine’s Day—red paper hearts taped to the walls, centerpieces that tried to make the space feel warm. But the warmth didn’t come from decorations. It came from the people inside, from the quiet hope in their eyes as we entered.
They were waiting. Not for food or activities, but for us. For someone to listen.
At first, I hesitated, clinging to my classmates like a lifeline. But eventually, I made my way to an elderly woman sitting alone, her hands carefully smoothing out a card. She was making it for her son—a son who hadn’t visited.
Her story left an ache in my chest, but instead of retreating, it pushed me forward.
I had spent too much time being afraid of what I might hear.
That’s when I met Buretta Ramirez.
“My Body Was Gone” – The Story of Buretta Ramirez
She was seated in a wheelchair, her body still, but her presence strong. She looked at me with sharp, knowing eyes, the kind that had seen too much and survived it.
"I took the flu shot on August 5, 2005," she said, her voice steady. "By August 20, my body was gone."
The weight of her words hit me before I even understood their full meaning.
It started with a strange numbness in her hands. A tingling that felt harmless at first. Then, her arms and legs felt weak.
She went to bed that night, thinking maybe she was coming down with something.
By morning, she couldn’t move.
"I couldn’t stand up. I just... fell," she said.
Her family rushed her to Jacobi Hospital, panic settling into their bones as they watched her body shut down. Doctors ran tests, one after another, but remained confused. She wasn’t getting better.
She was getting worse.
"They didn’t know what was happening to me," she explained. "I just laid there, six months in Jacobi."
Finally, a doctor from the Philippines examined her and gave it a name:
Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
The Longest Battle
Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS, is a rare but devastating disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves. The body turns on itself, stripping the nerves of their protective coating, leaving them raw, exposed, and unable to send signals to the muscles.
For Buretta, that meant paralysis.
"I couldn’t hold myself up. I couldn’t even scratch my own face," she said.
The frustration in her voice was quiet, but it was there.
After six months in Jacobi, she was transferred to Morning Side Rehabilitation Center, where she spent another three months trapped in a body that refused to obey her.
People told her she should sue. She could take a settlement, get money for what had happened.
But Buretta didn’t want money.
"You wanna sue? What for? I want my life. My kids, my husband—if I die, they were going to take my money. I want my life."
Her life.
For nearly twenty years, she waited. She fought. She believed.
And finally—after two decades—her body started to give her back pieces of what it had stolen.
"I can stand up a little now. I can use my hands a little," she told me.
Her voice held something different this time. Hope.
"I hope one day you will walk again," I said.
She smiled.
"I hope I'll be able to run!"
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome?
A Rare but Devastating Condition
Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes the immune system to attack the peripheral nerves—the ones responsible for movement, sensation, and even basic bodily functions.
Causes and Risk Factors
While the exact cause of GBS is unknown, it has been linked to:
Viral infections (such as the flu, COVID-19, and Zika virus)
Bacterial infections
Recent surgeries or traumas
Vaccinations (in rare cases, including the flu shot)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2023), most cases of GBS are not caused by vaccines. But rare cases—like Buretta’s—have been documented.
How Deadly is GBS?
Severe paralysis can lead to respiratory failure, requiring mechanical ventilation.
Some patients experience permanent nerve damage, leading to lifelong weakness.
In rare cases, GBS can be fatal, especially if it affects the heart or lungs.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2023) reports that while most patients recover partially or fully, some, like Buretta, live with the consequences forever.
Final Thoughts
Most of us don’t think twice about the flu shot.
For Buretta Ramirez, it changed everything.
Her case is rare. But her fight? That’s universal.
She refused to let her life be defined by what happened to her.
And as I walked away that day, her words echoed in my mind:
"I hope I'll be able to run."
Because after twenty years in a wheelchair, she still believes she will.
Sources:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2023). Guillain-Barré Syndrome Fact Sheet.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Vaccination.
Wow. Just wow. I hadn't even heard of GBS until reading this blog, but it was heartbreaking. Reading through Buretta's struggle with GBS makes me appreciate the life I have now as I am able to walk, and enjoy the freedom I have without paralysis. You truly don't appreciate something until its gone, and for her, it was her freedom. Her freedom to be able to interact as she once did before. This was a motivating and sentimental read of a real-life experience of a woman finding out about how GBS would have taken over her life :)