New Tecumseth, ON, resident Dan Hartman was denied money from the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) on March 7 despite his son Sean dying after taking a COVID-19 vaccine. .“My son died 33 days after his first Pfizer vaccine, and he was a perfectly healthy boy with no underlying conditions,” said Dan in a Thursday interview. .Sean, 17, took a COVID-19 vaccine to be allowed to play hockey. Dan said he took Sean to the emergency room four days after his first dose because he had brown circles around his eyes, a rash on his face, and pain in his right shoulder. .He was sent home from the emergency room soon after. He was found dead on his bedroom floor one month later. .An autopsy was performed, and a coroner determined the death was unascertained. All the medical examiner could find was an enlarged heart. .The application process involved Dan gathering medical, hospital, and family records. He sent all of these records to VISP and waited for a while. .The father called his reaction to the rejection “pure rage and a lot of sadness.” He said they cannot prove the COVID-19 vaccine did not kill him. .While he expected the decision to be declined, he said he had hope his application would be approved. The hope stemmed from how many people have heard Sean’s story through his Twitter account. .Dan said he cannot appeal the decision until he obtains new medical evidence. He's in the process of trying to get some. .Sean’s death cannot be confirmed except by staining slides and searching for spike protein. There is no pathologist in Canada who can do that right now. .Dan reached out to American pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole, who is one of two trained in staining slides, to obtain assistance. Dan said he expects the test to prove the COVID-19 vaccine killed Sean. .He said the toughest part since losing his son has been waking up every day. He wakes up every hour and spends most of his days crying. .Dan created a GiveSendGo to try to take a leave of absence from work. He took three weeks off when Sean died, which he said was not enough. .Every employee has seen him cry at work. For the death of a child, he said every parent needs at least one year of paid leave. .He plans on using some of the money to hire a lawyer to sue some of the organizations involved in his death. His first target will be the hockey league that required Sean be vaccinated. .He concluded by saying he wants answers to “try and live in peace again knowing the truth.” .“It has totally destroyed my life,” he said. .“I’ve cried so much more than I ever have in my life.” .Canadian government records published in July showed a total of eight COVID-19 vaccine death and injury claims were paid to date, with almost 700 awaiting completion of medical reviews. .READ MORE: Eight COVID vaccine injuries paid in Canada, 654 under review.The eight anonymous claims were the first to be paid under the $75 million vaccination compensation program launched in 2021..Managers of VISP said of 774 claims received, fewer than one-tenth, 71, were rejected due to incomplete information or ineligibility. Eight claims were paid and another 654 were under review as investigators retrieve medical records.
