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22-Year-Old Canadian Health Worker Crippled After First Moderna Dose Won’t Qualify for Provincial Vaccine Passport

Neil Campbell
Neil lives in Canada and writes about society and politics.
Published: September 9, 2021
22-year-old Tenley Csolle, a Canadian rehab therapist assistant who accepted COVID vaccination because she worked in long-term care. After taking the first dose of the Moderna injection, Csolle developed persistent flu-like symptoms, which evolved into lower body disability and cognitive impairment. Csolle will not qualify for British Columbia’s vaccine passport, which has no medical or religious exemptions, unless she accepts a second dose.
22-year-old Tenley Csolle, a Canadian rehab therapist assistant who accepted COVID vaccination because she worked in long-term care. After taking the first dose of the Moderna injection, Csolle developed persistent flu-like symptoms, which evolved into lower body disability and cognitive impairment. Csolle will not qualify for British Columbia’s vaccine passport, which has no medical or religious exemptions, unless she accepts a second dose. (Image: Screenshot via Rebel News)

A 22-year-old Canadian health worker in the Province of British Columbia who lost use of her legs and developed significant cognitive impairment after accepting the first dose of the Moderna Messenger RNA SARS-CoV-2 injection will not qualify for the provincial vaccine passport unless she takes the second jab.

In a Sept. 7 interview with Rebel News, Brenda and Rob Mallach, parents of 22-year-old Tenley Csolle, shared the story of their daughter’s experience.

Brenda described her daughter before her injury as an “active, vibrant, athletic young woman starting her career” as a rehab therapist assistant. Tenley had recently been engaged, and the couple had recently purchased a “fixer upper” home six months into her new career. 

Rob said on Dec. 30, 2020, Tenley, who worked in long-term care was advised that she needed to get vaccinated. So she took the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and immediately began to feel unwell with flu-like symptoms, such as nausea, headache, and fatigue, which did not abate. 

Two-and-a-half weeks later, with symptoms still persisting, Tenley nearly collapsed during a shift at work and was sent home by a supervisor to rest and recover. The next morning when Tenley tried to get out of bed, she found she could no longer use her legs and was rushed to the emergency room.

“She hasn’t taken a step since,” said her father.

Tenley’s parents say that after two weeks in the hospital and receiving examination by neurologists, two MRIs, and a lumbar puncture, no cause of their daughter’s disability has been determined, and no doctors are willing to associate it with the vaccine. Because there is no diagnosis, Tenley was discharged from the hospital in a wheelchair and was not provided follow up rehabilitation, physiotherapy, or occupational therapy.

Brenda said, “We’ve had to fight tooth and nail in order for her to get any kind of treatment, any kind of medical support, and we’ve had to find our own physiotherapist to work with her.”

The couple said 7 months later, Tenley is now able to move about with the aid of a walker, but is still completely unable to stand without its support. 

Not only is Tenley physically disabled, but her parents said the reason they are speaking on their daughter’s behalf and that she did not attend the interview personally is because of significant cognitive impairment she has suffered, “She’s finding this…it’s just so much. It’s overwhelming for her. Even cognitively, it’s difficult for her to think quickly on the spot, put her thoughts together and respond to questions,” said Brenda. 

“Her memory is just so impaired since she had that shot. She can’t concentrate for periods of time, she has difficulty reading…and so this would be very difficult for her to respond to questions in the moment.”

Tenley’s cognitive and physical symptoms, in addition to a difficult diagnosis, are very similar to those suffered by Kevin Street, a District Manager for Wireless Wave in Pembroke, Ontario, after accepting the first dose of the AstraZeneca variant in May.

Street documented his experience of near total lower body disability and notably decreased cognitive faculties in videos posted to his personal Facebook page following the injury. 

After she first suffered her injury, Tenley told the story to a local Kelowna news outlet. But after the story was published, the family said their daughter immediately became the target of significant online harassment. Rob said Tenley was called a hate monger, a liar, someone who wants attention, and someone who wants to scare people away from getting the vaccine in private messages on Facebook. 

The harassment was so jarring that the family contacted the publication to have the story removed the next day. 

Rob said of the vaccines that it’s crucial people are able to speak out, “It’s a shame, because I think people need to know this sort of thing happens. It’s not like what they’re saying. It’s not safe and it’s not effective. It’s deadly. It changes lives.”

The concerns are significant as governments around the world are becoming increasingly aggressive in their efforts to coerce vaccine acceptance on the public.

On Aug. 23, BC Premier John Horgan announced vaccine passports would be installed in the Province. As of Sept. 13, citizens will be required to show they have received at least one injection in order to continue to access non-essential businesses and participate in social activities. 

However, after Oct. 24, two injections will be required to be considered fully vaccinated until booster shots are mandated

Notably, British Columbia’s scheme provides no religious or medical exemptions of any kind, meaning for Tenley, she is put in the difficult position of having to take the risk of a second injection if she wants to participate in society. 

“If there are those rare people who have a medical reason that they can’t be immunized—these are discretionary events that we are talking about, so they will not be able to attend those events through this period of high risk. There are no exemptions for other reasons as well,” said Chief Medical Officer Bonnie Henry at a press conference announcing the passport.

Brenda said she is exacerbated at the government’s decision, “To me it’s criminal in terms of what is happening. With an experimental shot that hasn’t been fully tested, like, it’s still in trial stages, and they’re mandating it for people.” 

“In what world is that right?” she asked.

“It’s almost as if simply because you’re refusing a medical treatment, somehow you are sick. How are you suddenly sick just because you didn’t take a treatment? It makes no sense to me.”

“It’s not her fault she can’t take a second shot. She tried to do what she was told is the right thing, might I add, without informed consent in any way, shape, or form.”

According to Brenda, Tenley was not given information about potential side effects besides injection site swelling and potential flu-like symptoms that were supposed to persist for only a few days. 

Before the injury and the introduction of vaccine passports, Tenley had been planning her wedding. However, weddings and private functions are now prohibited unless all attendees can flash double injected status. 

Brenda continued, “She can’t be fully vaccinated at this point. The risk I would think is far too great for her. So I just can’t imagine what her life is going to look like.” 

“It’s already been completely altered, and now to take away any of those sort of exciting, sort of fun things that you might want to do as they’re defining non-essential things. Well, that’s what adds the spice to life, right?”

Rob said he was stunned that apartheid has made its way to a country previously regarded as a bastion of freedom, “I just can’t believe that in Canada, in British Columbia that they can actually do something like that. I thought it was a free country: freedom of choice, freedom of speech, freedom to live your life.” 

“And then all of a sudden, just because you won’t take an experimental drug into your body, all of a sudden you’re not allowed to just, live?” he asked.

Brenda also said Tenley was originally reluctant to tell anyone she knew about what had happened to her, “She was almost embarrassed that she made a bad decision. That’s how she looks at it. She made a bad decision and look at the outcome and she didn’t want to tell anybody.” 

“But she didn’t know. She’s young, new in her career. She was told it’s the right thing to do. Go down and get your shot. So she did as she was told. She didn’t even know she could say no.”