'Why can’t we talk about this?': Ontario man shares his story of COVID-19 vaccine injury
Michael Oesch opens up about his severe health decline after his fourth COVID-19 vaccine, sparking a call for open dialogue about vaccine injuries and accountability for those affected.
Bedbound in a long-term care home, 59-year-old Michael Oesch of Waterford, Ont. shares the harrowing story of his severe health decline following his fourth mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose in October 2022.
Featured in the documentary, “Why Can’t We Talk About This?” by Norfolk County filmmaker Dean Rainey, the 80-minute film amplifies Oesch’s plea for recognition and open conversation about vaccine injuries, a topic often met with silence.
Oesch’s health crisis began the day after his fourth shot, when his leg started dragging, soon rendering him unable to walk or hold a spoon. An MRI revealed spinal lesions, but doctors, after ruling out multiple sclerosis and Lyme disease, labelled his condition “idiopathic” — leaving him bedridden, dependent on personal support workers, and now living in a Dundas long-term care home.
At the time of documentary filming, Oesch was still living at home and able to get around. But all that has since changed. “I was in the hospital most of July, August and September 2024,” he details. “I went home briefly, but eventually came to long-term care.”
“I can no longer walk. I can barely move my legs, and my hands are now starting to deteriorate to the point where I can’t hold utensils, I can’t hold a cup, and I need personal support workers to do almost any basic task.”
“They call me the resident of the future in this ward,” says Oesch, making light of his situation, “because I have Wi-Fi lights and Bluetooth this and that – I’m kind of a high-tech patient here with all of the things that I can do, and it’s nice because in a lot of cases most of the residents here sleep all day where I try to be as active as I can.”
Despite government messaging reassuring Canadians through the COVID vaccine rollout that they ‘had their back,’ especially with the implementation of the vaccine injury support program (VISP), Oesch says he thought that he was “doing what was expected.”
“I think in many ways the vaccine injury support program is no different than an insurance company,” he says of the mountains of paperwork necessary to apply. “In reality, they’re trying to get rid of you by attrition,” says Oesch, noting that it took nearly two years to have his documentation approved for review. “The more you go down the rabbit hole of [VISP], the more you realize it’s really not there to help the patients.”
Official program statistics show that out of 3060 claims, a mere 209 have been approved by the elusive medical review board. “More money goes to the administration of that program than to help the people it was designed for,” Oesch points out.
Currently paying out of pocket for physiotherapy to help preserve muscle mass and massage therapy for throbbing in his limbs, Oesch and his family are feeling the financial strain. They have since launched a GoFundMe to help with ongoing care costs.
While most doctors genuinely want to help Oesch, he says they don’t understand vaccine injuries, nor the neurological issue(s) he’s experiencing. He says his naturopath has been helpful with various supplements and protocols to keep his immune system up.
“The reality is that I can’t walk, I can’t move my hands, but my bloodwork is better than anything I’ve ever had in my life,” explains Oesch. “I’m keeping my body in as good of shape as I can, but neurologically, my body is still deteriorating… my neurologist has never seen anything like this, and he doesn’t know what to do.”
Oesch says he has connected with numerous individuals affected by vaccine injuries. These range from less severe but still serious cases — such as blood clots, respiratory issues, cardiovascular problems and cancers — to severe cases like his own, and even stories of fatalities.
“It’s rather a shame that this whole situation is being whitewashed. We’re dealing with trillion-dollar pharmaceutical companies that are trying to make billions of dollars in profit by giving million-dollar bribes to not find the information that is out there.”
Overall, Oesch wants his story to serve as a warning to other Canadians that the mRNA vaccines can cause this kind of harm, and they need to be investigated before further damage occurs.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-06-03 19:30:56 -0400“Safe and effective” my butt! We were gas lit by governments and drug companies to take the shots. They then washed their hands of any responsibility. But unlike Pilate, we’re not going to see those responsible imprisoned. The only prison they’ll go to is hell after they die.
