Julie Ivan
Day 2 · September 9, 2026 · 0:15:22
Key points Julie Ivan, 50, a Canada Post mail carrier since 2006 and formerly a hardcore runner and gym-goer, testifies about her recognized vaccine injury. She says she received her second Moderna shot on June 30, 2021, having taken Pfizer first. She describes tingling that started in her feet within days and progressively rose up her body until she was numb from the chest down and could not feel to urinate. She says a hospital MRI found a spinal lesion, and doctors told her the vaccine caused her immune system to attack her spinal cord. She says she was treated with high-dose prednisone but told the damage was permanent, with symptoms to be managed rather than cured. She reports ongoing burning, numbness, shooting electric-shock sensations, lost hand dexterity, fatigue, and new brain lesions, and had carpal tunnel surgery. She says she still encouraged her teenage children to get vaccinated, describing herself as a rare case, and finds it hard that she must preface her story by saying she is not anti-vaccine.
Speaker 1
0:01 Our next witness is Julie Ivan. 0:03 Julie, will you take the Bible in the right hand? 0:12 Julie Ivan, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God? Speaker 1
0:20 Now, you did not have COVID, and 0:24 You're a doctor, so you've been verified as having a vaccine entry, and you're one of the few that even the Vaccine Entry Support Program agrees that you have a vaccine entry. 0:34 You're currently 50. 0:39 You have three children. 0:41 You work at Canada Post, and you started back in 2016 as a mail carrier. 0:47 And you were walking basically 18 to 20 kilometres a day, five days a week. 0:54 You also were very active. 0:55 You would do the 30-kilometer round-the-bay run five years in a row. 1:00 You were a hardcore runner. 1:02 And three to five days a week, you went to the gym. 1:05 This is pre-vaccine. 1:06 So you were like one of these hyper-athletes that the rest of us try to ignore exist. 1:13 So, okay. Speaker 2
1:15 It was 2006 I started with Canada Post. Speaker 1
1:18 So it's my 21st year. 1:19 Oh, I'm sorry. 1:20 I got that wrong by 10 years. Speaker 1
1:23 Yeah. 1:24 So, yeah. 1:25 And the point I was just trying to make is, I mean, and you love that job. Speaker 2
1:28 I love letter carrying. 1:29 Yes, I love it so much. 1:31 I'm yeah. 1:32 And I've just gone in in the last year and a half inside. 1:34 I finally just couldn't do it anymore outside. 1:37 I tried to do it and I convinced the neurologist to let me go back to work and have sign off on me going back after two months. 1:46 Just because I said, I have a truck, I'll park my truck, do five houses, get back in my truck, move it up, do another five houses. 1:52 I said, you got to let me go back to work. 1:54 I'm going crazy. 1:56 I had about two months off when it first happened. 2:00 Just because I couldn't walk. 2:01 I walked. Speaker 1
2:01 Let's start at the beginning. 2:04 So you have your second Moderna shot back on June 30th, 2021. 2:09 Can you share with us kind of what happened after that? Speaker 2
2:12 Yeah, so it was a Wednesday. 2:14 I think I was just at the pharmacy picking up a prescription for my daughter. 2:18 And I just said, hey, do you have any in there? 2:20 She said, yeah, we have Moderna. 2:22 And I said, is that okay? 2:23 Because I took Pfizer as my first one. 2:25 She said, yeah, no problem. 2:26 So that was a Wednesday. 2:28 And then Friday, me and my partner were driving up north. 2:31 And I was like, oh, my feet are so tingly. 2:33 Like, I can't feel them. 2:34 Like, it feels like they're asleep. 2:35 And I didn't think anything. 2:36 And we drive up north. 2:37 We rented a cottage. 2:39 And then Saturday I woke up and I'm like, it's up to my knees now, like just tingling. 2:43 And I could still walk everything. 2:44 And then Sunday it was up to my waist. 2:47 And I'm just like, it felt like a freezing in your tooth. 2:51 So, you know, after you have a cavity and they freeze your tooth and you're walking, you could still chew, you could still do everything. 2:56 It's just, it felt like swollen and like I was frozen. 3:00 So I'm like, okay, this is going to wear off. 3:01 It's obviously the vaccine. 3:03 Something just kind of triggered something. 3:04 It's going to wear off. 3:06 And then Monday morning I woke up and it was up to my bra line and I couldn't feel to go to the bathroom anymore. 3:12 So that's when I was like, okay, so this is a Monday. 3:15 We're just supposed to be leaving on the Monday. Speaker 1
3:18 So I called. 3:18 So you couldn't, you couldn't feel even to like go to the bathroom. Speaker 1
3:23 Like you're feeling numb from the chest down. Speaker 2
3:28 So the Sunday, it was still just the numbness. 3:30 It was like walking and it was shocks coming up my legs and it was just the numbness. 3:34 And if I kneeled down, 3:36 I felt like I was on like two inches of bubble wrap. 3:38 Like I just, but again, I'm just like, okay, this is just some kind of freezing wearing off or something or something with that. 3:45 So then the Monday morning, I'm like, okay, now this is serious. 3:48 I can't feel to go to the bathroom now. 3:50 So I know I'm not going to get into the doctor on a Monday. 3:54 So I called telehealth and just explained my symptoms. 3:57 And she just said, get to emergency. 3:59 So we were debating what hospital to go to because we were up north and, um, 4:05 My partner's mom had worked at St. Mike's in Toronto. 4:07 So she said, I would just, and I live in Hamilton. 4:09 So she said, just go there. 4:10 So we drove down and they got me in right away and just said, just ask me the questions. 4:17 And then within a couple hours, I was having like a spinal tap and MRIs. 4:23 First, it was an MRI. 4:24 They found a lesion. 4:26 So the way I've been explained it, it's the vaccine caused my immune system to attack my spine. 4:31 So there's a lesion there. 4:32 now. 4:34 And then they did a spinal tap and it was like 1500 milligrams of pregnazone to like an IV pregnazone first. 4:43 And then I think it was like 23 pills a day to take to start. 4:48 And then it used to taper it off over a couple of months. 4:50 So the first two pharmacies wouldn't even fill it because they couldn't get a hold of the doctor and they'd never seen a prescription that large. 4:57 And they were nervous. 4:58 And then it was finally one did. 5:00 And they had just a bunch of phone calls back and forth. 5:02 And, yeah, so it was just when I walked, it just was shocks. 5:07 Every step it was like something was rebounding back up. 5:10 And if I went like this, it was like electric shocks. 5:14 But for the first little while, it was only under here that was affected. 5:18 And now it's my hands, my head. 5:20 I have this tingling in my head. Speaker 1
5:21 Do you have tingling right now? Speaker 2
5:25 Not at this minute, but it happens daily, a couple times a day. 5:29 The feet and the hands are burning or freezing. 5:33 I feel like my fingertips are frostbit, but they're burning. 5:38 It's all just different things. 5:40 My legs from the knee down are numb. 5:42 I can feel the walk. 5:43 Everyone thinks, oh, I can feel completely the walk, but they're numb. 5:48 I used to be sure-footed. 5:49 Now I'm not sure-footed. 5:50 If I'm level ground, it's fine, but 5:53 That's why I had to go inside because I can't take the outside anymore surfaces. 5:57 And now I'm inside the plant unloading trucks of mail. Speaker 1
6:02 Just let's slow down. 6:07 So you basically go to the hospital, they do MRI, they're doing all of these tests, but they're not able to solve the problem. 6:16 They tell you right away the vaccine caused this by causing your immune system to attack your spinal cord. 6:23 but they don't really have any solutions for treatment. 6:26 Am I right about that? Speaker 2
6:27 Just the pregnazone to bring down the inflammation. 6:30 But the neurologist basically said the damage is done. 6:33 There's nothing you can do about it. 6:35 You just have to figure out how to live with the symptoms of it, which are progressively getting worse. 6:40 So now I just had another MRI a couple weeks ago, and I just had the neurologist appointment yesterday, and there's another lesion in my brain now. 6:48 So it is getting worse because now there's new lesions forming. 6:52 And the sensations, the fatigue is really bad. 6:57 I get about a good hour or two in the morning and I'm tired. 7:01 So she can't give me a stimulant because she says it will make all the sensory issues worse. 7:07 So it's kind of just, you know, or else painkillers, which I don't want to take. 7:12 I didn't even want to take the medication I'm on, but it's supposed to scramble the signals from my brain to my body because my brain is sending the wrong signals. 7:20 So I'm taking that because I have to, but I don't want to take any pain. 7:24 I would rather the pain and feel what's going on than the numbness that came along with those gabapentin and that kind of thing. 7:34 I just wanted to, they're not a good mix for me. 7:37 So I'm taking what I have to and try to do lion's mane and a natural approach and 7:45 You know, I smoke marijuana to help at the end of the day at work. 7:48 I can't do that all day because I'm working. 7:49 But at the end of the night, that helps me just feel a little bit lighter about everything. Speaker 1
7:54 So I just want to get a feel for kind of how you're like today. 7:59 And so you've still got all these numbness and tingling and shooting. 8:06 My understanding is that, you know, if you walk, I mean, even just five, ten minutes, your feet feel like they're burning. 8:15 And that you have to stop walking then because it becomes too painful. Speaker 2
8:20 Yeah, I've been walking. 8:21 Yeah, it's about 500 feet. 8:23 After you asked me that the one day, I'm like, I'm not really, I didn't really pay attention. 8:27 So now I'm trying to walk a little bit and it's about 500 feet before they just, it's just the souls of them are just burning. 8:34 so bad and but then it'll go to numbness in my toes so the soles are burning but my toes are numb so then you're kind of compensate walking with numb toes on the edges and numb heels or it feels like someone's grabbing you around uh the ankle or it just feels like these odd sensations i get these electric where it's just all of a sudden i'm just like this because it like 8:58 an electric shock around my middle or the hands are numb. 9:03 Yeah, it's just a host of all different things daily. Speaker 1
9:06 With your hands, you've also lost dexterity, right? 9:09 Like doing things like buttons up and that is extremely difficult. Speaker 2
9:13 Yeah, just getting buttons done. 9:14 And I have a lot of help getting things done up and stuff sometimes. 9:19 And I just had carpal surgery, carpal tunnel on one hand. 9:22 They want to do it on the other. 9:23 The ulnar nerves, like just seems difficult. 9:26 I guess what I've been told is the immune system is on overactive, like overdrive. 9:30 So everything, I had a rheumatologist send me to do IVIG, which is the, you know, you go to the hospital and they infuse you with that. 9:40 But then that just brought a whole other, I had a rash all over my body, whiteheads all over my scalp. 9:46 They're still all over my scalp. 9:48 I had to take a cream, I guess, because I heard the IVIG gives you more susceptible to skin cancer. 9:55 So I had an effect from the skin cancer cream. 10:01 They gave me liquid chemo, and now my nose is, I have makeup on, but it's permanently bright red because of spots they tried. 10:07 It's a series of unfortunate events that keep happening, and it's just not getting any better. 10:15 And my neurologist is great. 10:16 She's known it was from the vaccine. 10:18 The rheumatologist, you know, they're great. 10:21 They acknowledge what it's from, and they're trying to help, but it's basically... 10:25 You just got to manage your symptoms. 10:26 There's nothing to do with it. Speaker 1
10:28 There's no. 10:29 Right. 10:30 And you were talking about basically what's almost constant fatigue. 10:37 So if you do something, there's limits on how much you can do each day. Speaker 2
10:42 Yeah. 10:43 I go in as soon as I stop. 10:45 That's about it. 10:46 I'm just, I have to keep moving and I work through a lot of pain. 10:49 Like I'll keep walking. 10:50 My feet are numb, but I'm still going because mentally I need to feel 10:56 that some exhaustion or something to be able to relax you know like i i can't like it's not going to stop me from doing anything i'm going to keep doing everything but it's just a lot harder to do everything now right you have to push yeah and i have like i said i last night i slept great i bought a watch to try to keep flux track of my sleep score and i slept i sleep great and still i got about an hour and i just need to close my eyes i just want to go to sleep Speaker 1
11:23 Right. 11:24 After this, you're probably going to go straight to sleep. Speaker 2
11:26 Yeah. 11:27 Well, we can't. 11:27 We've got to fly home. Speaker 1
11:30 Okay. 11:32 What's been the most difficult part about this? Speaker 2
11:35 Just the loss of motivation. 11:38 You know, like in the earlier days, when I was off work, it would be like, oh, my God, I wake up so early. 11:46 What am I going to do with myself all day? 11:47 Like not feeling like doing anything. 11:49 Yeah. 11:50 So now it's better. 11:51 I'm, you know, keeping busy and stuff, but yeah, just the loss of my, the way I was like, just full of energy and like, go, go, go. 11:59 And I never used to sit down. 12:00 So now it's just, yeah, I sleep most of the time I go to work, I come home, I sleep and then get up for a little while, have some coffee and then I go back to bed. Speaker 3
12:08 So I just see my colleagues here that don't live in Ontario and understand around the Bay. 12:15 It's a 30 kilometer race, right? 12:18 Very impressive. 12:18 So three quarters of a marathon. 12:20 So, 12:20 I want to give you kudos for all your energy. 12:24 So I guess my question is, how has it affected your family life? Speaker 2
12:30 My family have been great. 12:31 My kids, like, I still convince my two kids and their teens to get their second dose, even after what happened to me. 12:38 I said, I'm a 12:39 just I'm a rarity like it's just please still get it you know I was still like okay we got to do it we everyone still has to get it done and my daughter fought me tooth and nail to not get it done but I'm like I'm I'm just a rare case you have to get it done I made sure that they still got it which is a little harder to take now that I hear that it's for nothing you know like when it was for something and I believe that yes you guys it's for the greater good you know 13:05 And now it's harder to take now that it's just not for the greater good. 13:09 Like this could have all been avoided, which is hard. 13:13 And I haven't been around anybody that's, I haven't met anybody. 13:15 That's why I'm emotional today is because I haven't talked to anybody that's dealt with any of this. 13:20 You know, it's not on the news. 13:21 You don't hear people talking about it. 13:24 Maybe once in a blue moon. 13:25 So then when my friend at work told me about this, I was like, oh, for sure. 13:30 You know, at least I can be around other people that have dealt with this stuff. Speaker 3
13:34 Have you found it difficult to talk with? 13:36 I'm not suggesting family, but friends or acquaintances or neighbours. Speaker 2
13:40 Just when someone asks, you know, you always have to preface it by saying, I'm not an anti-vaxxer, I'm not against it, I got it willingly, but this is what happened to me. 13:48 And yeah, you always feel there's a little bit of, do I bother telling them what happened to me or not? 13:52 You know, like, are they going to believe me that it's from this? 13:55 Like, there's always a little bit of, you just don't know what to say. Speaker 3
13:58 It's a little bit crazy to think you've got to preface this. 14:00 A statement about a vaccine injury by saying you're not anti-vax, right? Speaker 2
14:05 Yeah, and I was doing it willingly. 14:06 You know, I had to do it for work, but, I mean, I did it. 14:09 I wasn't saying, oh, no, I'm not going to do it. 14:11 I did it. Speaker 3
14:14 Did you say you're still working a bit? Speaker 2
14:15 Yeah, now I've gone to retail. 14:18 So I've come out of the plant because it's too hard in the plant, too. 14:20 It's a lot of lifting and stuff. 14:22 So they found me a position in retail, just being in the storefront and, yeah, in Beansville. 14:30 A little post office out there. Speaker 3
14:32 Excellent. 14:33 I may be familiar with Deemsville. 14:35 That's my writing. Speaker 2
14:37 I looked it up. Speaker 3
14:38 I lived there for many years. 14:40 That's great. Speaker 2
14:41 That's where I am now. 14:42 I'm going to be at the post office. Speaker 3
14:45 I'm glad to hear that your work has made accommodations. 14:47 Totally. Speaker 2
14:48 They've been great. 14:49 That's part of the battle. 14:51 Canopos has been great with it. Speaker 3
14:53 Any other questions? 14:57 Listen, I'll just say thank you so much. 15:00 We understand the toll it takes to travel and come, and we do appreciate sharing your story. 15:04 The two stories are the same, but they're similar in terms of what you've got to deal with in terms of mentalness and all the stuff that comes with it. 15:12 So thank you so much for coming. Speaker 2
15:15 Thank you for having us.