More vaccine damage.

May 18, 2006

May 16, 2006 Fighting for MikeyBy TONY MARREROlmarreroMikey Lupo?s bedroom looks like that of any other 9-year-old boy. A toy box overflows in one corner. NASCAR heroes such as Richard Petty smile down from posters on the walls. Even Mikey?s bed is shaped like a racecar. Hanging above the door, though, is a small, pink and white tile that seems out of place among the trappings of boyhood. ?With God, all things are possible,? the tile reads, quoting an excerpt from the Bible?s Gospel of Luke. It?s not a typical decoration in an adolescent?s room, but it?s a necessary one for a boy who is anything but typical, said Mikey?s mother, Barbara. ?It?s what helps keep us going,? she said. ?We?ve seen God work miracles in our lives

and we know he can work this one.? At the age of 18 months, Mikey was diagnosed with autism and retardation. The Lupos, like thousands of other parents across the country, are convinced that their son?s condition was caused by exposure to mercury in vaccines given to him as an infant. They?ve joined a class-action lawsuit filed against several vaccine manufacturers with the hopes of securing restitution that they say would help improve their son?s access to therapy and would guarantee that he would be taken care of long after his parents are gone. ?Our worst fear is what?s going to happen to him when Barbara and I die,? said Michael Lupo, Mikey?s father. Autism is a bioneurological disorder, not a mental illness, which affects the functioning of the brain. Some theories suggest that it may be caused by genetics, viral and/or chemical exposure. Autism causes lifelong developmental disability, including problems with communication, social

interaction and physical activities. In 2001, the family saw an article about a possible link between autism and thimerosal and joined the suit not long after. Thimerosol is a mercury-based preservative used to prevent bacteria from growing in vaccines. It was added to children?s vaccines until five years ago. Some experts contend the mercury, though accounting for only a small fraction of the vaccine, was enough to create brain damage in some children whose bodies weren?t able to purge the toxin from their systems. However, health officials and vaccine makers, such as Merck, Wyeth, Aventis-Pasteur, and GlaxoSmithKline, dispute those claims and say research studies show there is no link. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites studies that have shown there is no connection between autism and mercury exposure from vaccines. In 2001, the CDC contracted with the Institute of Medicine, or IOM, to come up with a

series of reports on possible links between vaccines and a range of health problems. An IOM committee of experts conducted studies and, in 2004, concluded that no evidence could be found linking the vaccines to neurological diseases, including autism. The committee went on to say that no further research was required on the topic. But some experts and advocacy groups say more research must be done. ?Across the board, literally every organization within the autism community really disputes those findings and say it was premature to make that kind of decision,? said Peter Bell, chief executive officer of the national research and advocacy group Cure Autism Now. The group is currently funding more studies on how thimerosal impacts biological systems. ?The bottom line is the jury is still out,? Bell said. Some 5,000 families have filed suit. For now, though, an overwhelming majority of the cases, including the Lupos?, are stalled in a

little-known branch of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims often referred to as vaccine court. The court was set up by Congress in 1986 in response to the rare claims that vaccines were causing injury and death. A surcharge on vaccines goes into a pool to pay for any damages awarded in vaccine court, but those claims are capped at $250,000. The Department of Health and Human Services is the defendant, not the drug makers, with the Department of Justice acting as its lawyer. The court is currently waiting for experts to file a report on whether there is a causal link between mercury-based vaccines and autism. The best case scenario is that a connection will be established and the vaccine court?s special hearing master will decide what damages to award families, said John Clark, attorney for Ferraro and Associates, P.A., the Miami law firm handling 100 vaccine cases including the Lupos?. If the award amount isn?t satisfactory, families can file suit

in civil court directly against the drug makers. ?You?re never going to be able to make their kids better,? Clark said. ?The best we can do as attorneys is to get them their just compensation.? ?A night-and-day difference? Barbara Lupo knew something was wrong with her son when he reached the age of 15 months. Up to that point, he seemed healthy. He was even saying his first words, Lupo recalled. One day, she went to get Mikey from the car seat. Before opening the door, she knocked on the window to get his attention. ?I just about broke the glass and he didn?t even flinch,? she said. From then on, Mikey changed. He wouldn?t make eye contact. He stopped walking. He no longer used the few words he had learned. ?We didn?t hear his voice again until he was 3,? Barbara Lupo said. ?We didn?t know what happened. It was such a night-and-day difference.? Walt Karniski, a Tampa pediatrician who has seen Mikey

since 2000, said the boy?s autism and retardation are ?profound.? His ability to communicate is on the level of a 2- or 3-year-old, Karniski said. ?As an adult, he?ll never be able to hold a job,? he said. ?His verbal skills are unlikely to improve much beyond where they are now. As far as living independently, it would be next to impossible.? Mikey can say some simple words and is learning more. But he has a short attention span, and is prone to tantrums. He is on several medications to help calm him. The Lupos enrolled Mikey in a Pasco County school because of its exceptional student education program. He also receives 30 minutes each of speech and occupational therapy each week. That?s all that insurance will cover, and the family?s resources won?t allow more ? Michael Lupo runs a handyman business, and Barbara is a server at a local restaurant. The couple also has two daughters, Jennifer, 25, and Riley, 14. The family disagrees with

Karniski?s prognosis, and believes that Mikey has the potential to show a dramatic improvement. ?If we could afford the therapy sessions five days a week, that kid could reach the sky,? Barbara said. The drug companies ?have to do the right thing? and admit they may be responsible for damaging children, she said. ?That could open so many doors for Mikey,? she said. She said the most difficult part is living with her conviction that Mikey was cheated out of a normal life. ?He?s so smart,? she said. ?I can only imagine what he could have been.? Reporter Tony Marrero can be contacted at (352) 544-5286. This story can be found at: http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGBVR8J0BNE.html Go Back To The Story "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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