His mother Amanda Copenhaver, who works in healthcare, shares with us,

On Friday morning July 12, 2013 I took my son in for his 4 month well-baby checkup. The doctor gave him 7 vaccines – DTaP, IPV, Hib, PCV and Rota. He was cranky of course after, but doctors tell you to give Tylenol and teach you that these reactions are normal.

Saturday, he was still fussy and tired and didn’t nurse as much as usual. Saturday night, my sister in law watched him overnight so we could go to work. I picked him up Sunday afternoon, after I woke up. We didn’t do much that evening but nap. Looking back it seems that he was extra sleepy but I didn’t notice it then.

Sunday night, I dropped him off at a very close friend’s house around 10pm, so that I could go to work. Not knowing that this was the last time I’d see my son alive.

She said he woke in the middle of the night so she got up with him. She fell asleep in the recliner holding him. When she woke up, he was gone.

They started CPR, but of course it was no help.

I vividly remember the scream down the hallway in the middle of the night, at work, telling me to leave. I was a CNA at a nursing home, working overnights, when my coworker yelled down the hall that something was wrong with my baby. That was the absolute worst night of my life.

There were no obvious signs that something was wrong with him. Nothing outside of the “normal” that doctors lead you to believe is ok after your baby receives the vaccines. My son received his shots Friday morning and by late Sunday night- early Monday morning, he was gone.

His death was ruled as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The vaccines were not mentioned in Nicholas’s autopsy report because at the time the autopsy was being done, the pathologist was not yet made aware that Nicholas recently received his shots. It all happened so fast and of course, at that moment in my life, things hadn’t clicked yet that it was the vaccines. I was meant to believe they were so safe and this wouldn’t happen.

Nicholas didn’t have his airways blocked and did not suffocate when he passed away. I had to do my own homework and I was referred to a vaccine injury lawyer who listened to my story and took on my case. I had to request a report in order to file a vaccine injury claim.

The neurologist that did our report for the case actually did the autopsy also. Unfortunately, if I hadn’t looked into things further on my own, I may have never known what took my sons life.

The doctor who did the autopsy even stated that he feels vaccine causation exists in our case and wrote this in our neuropathology report. The report we have gotten for our case clearly states that, in his opinion, vaccines were the likely cause of death. We were lucky because often times, vaccines are never mentioned and parents are not given truthful answers.

It seems most babies that die soon after vaccination are ruled as SIDS cases or some other vague cause of death. It doesn’t make sense when all of these children are passing away after getting vaccines why the vaccines are never listed as the cause of death. Surely this needs to be considered more.

We will have to wait to find out if our case is awarded but no amount of money could replace our son. The maximum they give for vaccine related deaths is $250,000. That’s what our children are worth to them.

My son was vaccinated on schedule. He was given Hep B at birth, 8 vaccines at his 2 month well baby visit (DTaP, IPV, Hib, Heb B, PCV and Rota) and 7 vaccines at his 4 month well baby visit (DTaP, IPV, Hib, PCV and Rota). I don’t think many parents are aware these are the vaccines on the current US schedule.

I can only hope sharing our story will save someone else the heartache and pain of losing a child. I want to tell the world and save them the heartache that we have been through.

Rest In Peace Our Precious Angel…

Amanda Copenhaver