Christa Orsino-Heck

From Christa:

Sandy,
 
My heart goes out to you and your family.  I pray that you recover a little more with each passing day, week, month year.  I commend your spirit and thank you for your strength in putting your tragic story out to the world.  I, too, am a survivor of a chiropractic stroke.  I, too, had no idea of the risk of stroke...and have been desperately trying to raise awareness about this horror.  My story appeared in Self Magazine last May.  It's posted on the internet at http://www.self.com/livingwell/articles/2007/04/0507chiropractors_singlepage.    I had hoped that was just the beginning of raising awareness, but the chiropractic groups bullied the networks that wanted to broadcast my story...and, so far, it has not been aired.  Just as your husband noted, it was very difficult to find an attorney to take my case.  Firstly, I didn't have the cognitive ability or inner strength to vehemently pursue this.  I'm no longer the woman I once was....I'm emotionally and cognitively broken.  Secondly, many attorneys simply don't want to deal with chiropractic cases and have no clue about the injuries they're inflicting.  I tried lobbying to my Senators in Washington and was told I'd have to convince the Medical Political Action Committee before any Senator would be interested in my cause...the same committee that just approved American chiropractors in Iraq to get reimbursed for treatment to our troops!
 
I started a CarePages.com website and met other victims from that.  You're absolutely correct when you note that this is happening much more than is reported...and it breaks my heart that I have been unsuccessful in my attempt to stop this barbaric 'treatment'...because I might have spared you from being injured, as well as so many others who had strokes after I did.
 
I'm working with a new attorney now who is passionate about stopping this.  We have been working on a website and, although a class-action lawsuit is not plausible within the American structure, he is forming a national committee to educate and guide attorneys on what is happening and how to process chiropractic lawsuits.  As I said in one of my internet blogs...we, victims, have asked, begged and demanded...but have been ignored and/or berated by the chiropractic community...so now we'll get their attention by being compensated for the debillitating harm and/or deaths they're causing...and empty their pockets!
 
If there is anything I can do to help you or your family, please don't hesitate to call on me.  I would welcome the opportunity to be present during any press conferences, interviews, etc...both as a supportive influence for you and to view the process as it unfolds in Canada.  Again, I am so sorry for what's happened to you and I will keep you in my prayers, thoughts and heart.
 
Christa Heck