Alexis Lorenze just wanted a blood transfusion.
She is 25 years old, lives in Florida, and has been living with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria since January 2024, a genetic blood disorder so rare that it affects between 0.5 and 1.5 people per million. She traveled to California to replenish her damaged cells, but, she said, doctors would not give her the transfusion unless she first received vaccines against tetanus, pneumonia, and meningitis, all three at the same time.
10 minutes later, her vision darkened in both eyes. Her jaw locked up, she vomited, and her forehead and eyes began to swell. Then red spots appeared on her face, neck, and chest, along with deep purple bruises. “This is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced”, she said through tears during a livestream.
Doctors consulted by DailyMail.com urge caution: this is an extremely rare reaction, and they believe her illness, not the vaccine ingredients, may have made it worse. Her father, Todd, says Alexis’s condition changes “from hour to hour” and that the battle could last months or years.
