Created: 11/29/2007 9:43:36 AM 
By Patricia Crosby First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Sarah and Chris Hoiberg are hoping their story will help other families avoid the nightmare that happened to them.
A nightmare that started after their youngest daughter Cate recieved her DTaP vaccine at the age of 18 months.
DTaP is a shot designed to protect against diptheria, tetanus and pertussis.
"She was growing like a weed, just thriving. Her doctor even said this is the best well-baby checkup she's ever had," says Cate's mom before the shot.
Then, the very next day Sarah Hoiberg remembers the horrifying change.
"It was like picking up a lead doll. One side of her body was stiff. And when I picked her up, her head snapped to the side."
Sarah and Chris called 911 and told the paramedics, that she had just had her shots.
"They just said, 'Whatever Lady'," Sarah recalls.
At the hospital, Cate was diagnosed with Acute Encephalopathy.
Her brain was deteriorating and they couldn't stop the seizures.
Chris and Sarah kept asking the doctors if the shot could have done this?
"Something that was so clear as day, them trying to do anything to prove it wasn't the shot. And, they came up empty-handed," says Chris Hoiberg.
After about 20 days in the hospital, the doctors finally agreed it was the shot and they told the Hoibergs to apply for compensation through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, better known as Vaccine Court.
The Hoibergs hired attorney Alan Pickert, who says these cases are normally not easy to win.
"One of the things we had for this case, is that the doctors, pediatricians, neurologists all agreed it was the vaccine. And, they did an excellent job of documenting that this was a vaccine injury," says Pickert.
The Hoibergs won their case, and they can now focus more on Cate's recovery.
"When she first came home from the hospital, she was pretty much in a vegetative state," says Sarah.
Now after lots of therapy at the age of 4, Cate can now walk with a brace.
But, she doesn't know where she's going. And, she is learning sign langugage to communicate.
Cate can say "mama" but to the family, it's bittersweet because she calls everyone and everything "mama."
Despite the odds, the Hoibergs say they will never give up hope.
"She will be normal. I'll climb any mountain. I will do whatever it takes to get her back," says Sarah.
The Hoibergs say they will never get their children vaccinated again. And, they are urging other parents to get educated about the risks.
They believe it was the combination of the vaccines in the DTaP shot that caused the brain injury.
Alan Pickert is now handling about 57 other cases of vaccine injury, some for autism and others for encephalopathy like in Cate's case.
He says he is not against vaccines, but does believe there is a safer way to administer them.
He believes they should be broken out of the groups and administered individually. And, some pediatricians will do this for parents, if they ask for it.
In Florida and Georgia, and every other state except for Mississippi and West Virginia parents can opt out of the childhood vaccines all-together with a religious excuse.
And, in 21 states you can use "personal beliefs" as an excuse.
If you'd like more information about vaccine risks and injury compenstation, just click on the link for the National Immunization Program's web site.
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