Maddie’s story has recently gained more attention on social media, and some of the comments directed at me have been incredibly harsh. I can handle criticism, but Maddie is now 18 and sees those comments—and they hurt her plus reliving what happened and having everything that happened public at this age isn’t easy by any means. To people who don’t know the full story, I may seem like a horrible parent. I’m not. I have lived with guilt every single day since Maddie became sick, and cruel comments do nothing to help her or address what actually happened. Your anger should be directed at Cincinnati Children’s for failing to perform the testing Maddie’s symptoms warranted and at those who, along with Pfizer and our government, failed to accurately report the serious adverse events she experienced during the clinical trial. Those are the people and institutions that should be held accountable. I have nothing to hide. More than 2,000 children between the ages of 12 and 15 participated in that trial. Even after I spoke publicly about what happened to Maddie, more than 2,000 parents enrolled their children in the trial for ages 5 to 11, followed by thousands more who enrolled babies and young children between 6 months and 4 years old. The public was not being given the complete picture, and concerns surrounding the adult trials were often censored or dismissed. We had a highly educated friend who worked at Cincinnati Children’s and participated in the initial Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial. She received both doses and was fine. Her son later joined the adolescent trial, as did many of his friends. That is how my one son—and eventually Maddie and my other son—learned about it. We personally knew adults and children who had participated without any problems, so I genuinely believed my children would also be okay. I volunteered for the Astra Zeneca vaccine trial at Cincinnati Children’s way before my kids were in the trial, but that trial was stopped due to adverse reactions. That information was never communicated to volunteers so I just assumed they had enough volunteers, and it was not reported by the media either. This was never about money. I was not paid anything. The approximately $500 the children received went directly to them—not to me. I believed they were contributing to something that would help others, and I trusted the medical professionals and institutions overseeing the trial. I have tried to take the most devastating thing that has ever happened to our family and speak publicly about it so it would not happen to other children. Cruel comments do not help Maddie recover, and they do not help me continue fighting to find answers and treatment for her. I quit my job to care for Maddie and am living off my retirement because she is my priority. We have spent more money on her care than I could ever add up, so please understand that no one in our family has financially benefited from what happened. Our only goal is to help Maddie get better and make sure the truth is known. If you have nothing constructive or compassionate to say, please keep it to yourself. Attacking me does not make you a better parent or person—it only causes more pain for Maddie. Please focus on what truly matters: getting the truth out and holding accountable the people and institutions that knew what happened and failed to do the right thing. Direct your anger toward them—not toward a young woman whose life was changed forever or the mother who has spent every day since trying to help her.