Robyn Forbes’ fulfilling life came to a halt shortly after March 4, 2021, when he received his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Within days, Forbes began experiencing a succession of severe adverse events, ultimately resulting in him getting cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), a procedure that involves implanting a device in the chest to help correct serious heart rhythm problems.
In an exclusive interview with The Defender, Forbes described the vaccine-induced symptoms he experienced and the “anguish, pain and heartache” that followed and continue to impact his life.
“At the time of my injury,” said Forbes, “I was 175 lbs., lean, 5’11” and in the best shape of my entire life. I was able to be a dad and an independent business owner who got a lot of hockey and mountain biking while not working.”
Forbes told The Defender that because his wife is a teacher, she and her family members were offered the vaccine relatively early, in March 2021. However, Forbes initially didn’t want the vaccine.
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“I knew I did not need it,” he said. “But the other popular phrase at the time was that if you got it, the disease ‘stopped with you’ and that you were ‘protecting others’ by getting vaccinated. So, there is that. It certainly didn’t work out that way.”
“I had a severe episode of lightheadedness and had to suddenly take a knee and then sit on a bench in the entryway to avoid falling over. I had never felt that intense of a dizziness before but of course had felt lightheaded when standing too fast.
“Given that — I ignored it really and figured I was good. However, things became very clearly different on March 15, 2021, when things really took a dive.”
On that day, as he was walking back into the building at work on the ground floor, after lightly sweeping, he got “really dizzy.” He again took a knee and at that point was not comfortable at all standing.
“I had on an Apple watch and ran the EKG [electrocardiogram] right away when I noticed my pulse was fast and that I could feel my heart beat. My heart was at 226 bpm [beats per minute].”
He waited for things to calm down. “Because I was at work and relatively free with time, I paid attention to what was happening,” he said.
Forbes continued to take EKG’s at regular intervals, “fully expecting things to go back to normal and for all to be okay.” But it didn’t, he said:
“I should be dead. I should not be here. ALL [emphasis original] of the doctors I have seen read the story of the onset and question the ‘50 minutes in sustained VTAC, driving to the ER’ and kind of laugh a little.
“I should be dead. I have often wished, since then, that I would have been.”
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Forbes described a very long battery of examinations, medical visits and ongoing serious symptoms. “I have been through a lot with doctors,” he said.
At Johns Hopkins, “the genetic testing came back negative and they indicated the scarring pattern on my heart was more indicative of sarcoidosis instead of AVRC, which was a HUGE [emphasis original] relief but still made no sense.”
Sarcoidosis is a disease characterized by the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells (granulomas) in any part of the body. The cause of sarcoidosis is unknown, but experts think it results from the body’s immune system responding to an unknown substance, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The diagnosis led Forbes to again seek out experts. He found them at the Heart Institute at the University of Washington, where “They confirmed a ‘probable’ sarcoidosis diagnosis,” he said.
Even having overcome the worst of his symptoms, Forbes described how the aftereffects of the COVID-19 vaccination are continuing to affect his life and his personal relationships today:
“I have disconnected from people I love. I fail to see the purpose in life for many days. I have spent two-plus years in a constant state of confusion and fear with regard to all of this COVID stuff.
“I took the shot because I was told it was safe and effective and that it would protect others. None of that was or is true. And now I am being told that I am not harmed by it, and, even if so — that nobody is responsible. Wow. Discarded like trash.”