Witness Testimony

Colleen Brandse testified that she worked 28 years as a registered nurse in Ontario and was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma in February 2021, affecting her immune system. Despite personal hesitation, she received two COVID-19 vaccine doses in June 2021 after her oncologist advised that she would be fine. She stated that after the second dose she developed progressive neurological symptoms including shooting pains, numbness, foot drop, vision loss, and later multi-system complications including pericarditis, shortness of breath, worsening vocal cord paralysis, and persistent mottling of her legs. She also reported being diagnosed with double brain aneurysms requiring urgent surgery but stated she has been unable to obtain appropriate intervention.
Brandse testified that when she presented to emergency departments with neurological symptoms and clotting concerns, she was initially taken seriously until she mentioned the vaccine as a possible cause. She stated that at that point her treatment changed and she was discharged within 30 minutes without comprehensive imaging or clotting investigations, despite a prior history of pulmonary embolism. She described this pattern as “gaslighting,” stating that her professional background allowed her to recognize deviations from normal standards of care.
She further testified that her family experienced significant health events following vaccination, including her 23-year-old son developing a pulmonary embolism and her husband, previously treated for bowel cancer and declared clear, later developing stage four metastatic liver cancer. She stated that adverse event reports regarding her own condition were dismissed as pre-existing issues and that she faces prolonged waits for neurological testing. She expressed fear regarding her health, financial stability, and her family’s future, and stated that she believes vaccine-related injuries are under-recognized and underreported.