[00:00:00]

Kassy Baker

Good afternoon, Ms. Warren. Can you hear me?

Kimberly Warren

I can.

Kassy Baker

Very good. Just to start off, can you please state and spell your name for the record?

Kimberly Warren

Yes, my name is Kimberly Warren, K-I-M-B-E-R-L-Y, last name W-A-R-R-E-N.

Kassy Baker

And do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth during your testimony here this afternoon?

Kimberly Warren

I do.

Kassy Baker

Very good. Now, I understand that you’re here to talk to us about your vaccine injury. Is that correct?

Kimberly Warren

Correct.

Kassy Baker

Before we get into that, can you just please give us a little bit of your background information, including your current area of employment—which was also your area of employment when you were injured?

Kimberly Warren

Of course. I work at two hospitals. At the time of first vaccination, I worked at Groves Memorial [Community] Hospital and the Orangeville Headwaters Health Care [Centre] hospital.

As of the third booster, we moved to Ottawa. I work at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus and Queensway-Carleton Hospital. I am a medical administrative assistant in one of my roles. And the other role, I am a ward clerk.

Kassy Baker

Now, when you received the first dose, can you give us the reason why you received it?

Kimberly Warren

I’m sure, as everyone is now aware, health care workers were forced to have all vaccines in order to keep our employment. And many people were escorted out of our facility due to not complying with that mandated vaccination rule.

I of course was not in a position to lose my job and I complied.

Kassy Baker

I understand. Sorry, it’s just come to my attention that we don’t have your camera on. Are you able to turn your camera on?

Kimberly Warren

Let’s see if I can do that.

Kassy Baker

Thank you. It doesn’t appear to be on. Can you still hear me?

Kimberly Warren

I can and I can see you.

Kassy Baker

You can see me. In the bottom left-hand corner is there a little video camera that you can click? Should be next to the microphone.

Kimberly Warren

Yes, can you—?

Kassy Baker

I’m just looking at our tech team. I don’t think we have you up yet, but perhaps I will continue at this point.

You’ve described to us the circumstances under which you received your first vaccination. Can you tell us when you received the second?

Kimberly Warren

Yes, so first vaccination was January 7th and then approximately just over four weeks later, February 11th, 2021, was the second. And the booster followed November 23rd, 2021. We were one of the very first people that were given the vaccine due to being health care workers. And I worked at a COVID testing clinic, so we were sent among the first groups. After our elderly were sent, we were then sent in our area.

Kassy Baker

When you received any of the vaccinations, were you at any time told that there could be risks associated with the vaccine?

Kimberly Warren

No.

Kassy Baker

Were you at any time asked if you had any pre-existing medical conditions?

Kimberly Warren

No.

Kassy Baker

And do you have any pre-existing medical conditions?

Kimberly Warren

I did. Yes, I have pre-existing chronic kidney disease, CKD.

Kassy Baker

And just for the sake of clarity: your third dose, was that also required by the mandate? Or did you choose to have it?

Kimberly Warren

The third dose was not. We just kept getting all this—I don’t know what the word is to call it—propaganda? But we kept getting emails saying that we all needed to have the booster.

The third was not mandated, however heavily suggested. And we kept getting a lot of internal literature on getting the booster.

Kassy Baker

Okay. And did you ask any questions when you attended any of your vaccination appointments?

Kimberly Warren

I did not. And in hindsight, I don’t know if I would have gotten the answer I was looking for at that time anyway. To be quite frank, I went along with the narrative that this was a safe and effective vaccine and that it was required for me to keep my employment.

Kassy Baker

Okay. Now I understand that shortly, or sometime after your third dose, you started to have some complications, is that correct?

[00:05:00]

Kimberly Warren

That is correct.

Kassy Baker

Can you describe those to us?

Kimberly Warren

Yes. Since the series of three vaccinations— So after the booster, within 48–72 hours, I was having hematuria, so blood in the urine; and proteinuria, signs of that, which is foamy urine. And I was just feeling very unwell, fatigued. And I just knew something was wrong, but I didn’t exactly know what. And, you know, you attribute it to— At this time as a health care worker, we were working more than 40 hours a week; we were working more like 60 hours a week. So I just attributed it to, you know, my workload.

And it was the morning— December 15th is when I was hospitalized. So that morning, I had called my nephrologist because I was in so much pain that I could hardly take a breath. And the bleeding was so— I really had no idea kidneys could bleed the way I was bleeding. I thought it was another problem, like a female problem I was having. I had no idea kidneys could bleed like that.

When I called my nephrologist, he immediately told me to get to a hospital ASAP. And he had already sent over all my file so it was there and waiting for them when I went into triage.

Kassy Baker

These symptoms that you’ve described: have these abated at this point or are they a continuing issue for you?

Kimberly Warren

No, they’re a continuing issue. I always now have gross haematuria and proteinuria. This is a permanent condition now that will require dialysis and transplant in my future, 100 percent.

Kassy Baker

Were you able to continue working through the early stages after your third vaccination?

Kimberly Warren

I was off work for over a year: December 15th, 2021 to February 6th, 2022 I was unemployed.

Kassy Baker

Have you reported this apparent injury to your doctor and/or any other medical body?

Kimberly Warren

Yes. I was quite fortunate that my doctors immediately recognized that this was a vaccine injury. They had ruled out via CT scans, blood work; I had a kidney biopsy. During this series of three vaccines, I’ve had two kidney biopsies.

So with all that information, my doctors, thankfully, did report it as a vaccine injury. So I was very fortunate in that regard.

Kassy Baker

And to which body was the injury reported?

Kimberly Warren

It was reported to the Adverse— so the Ministry of Health, Public Health. My doctors filed a report of adverse events following immunization under the “special interest” category because it’s an acute kidney injury.

So that report was filed off through Public Health and they also signed the paperwork for me to continue my claim with the Vaccine Injury Support Program.

Kassy Baker

And I understand that if your claim is accepted, the Vaccine Injury Support Program could potentially provide you with some compensation, is that right?

Kimberly Warren

That is correct. And this is where this journey takes a very wrong turn.

Kassy Baker

Can you please tell us about that journey?

Kimberly Warren

The Vaccine Injury Support Program and their exact wording is that, “The board considered the emerging evidence around flares of IgA nephropathy in the context of exposure to mRNA vaccines and a plausible biological mechanism for this. Although no definitive causality has been confirmed, the temporal association with this patient’s flare of IgA nephropathy in the context of vaccination does suggest a causal association between the flare of IgA nephropathy and vaccination.”

What this letter in essence says is that the medical review board themselves has determined, in fact, this is— they have concurred with my doctors that this is a vaccine injury. So they have taken on that ownership, that responsibility that this is a vaccine injury. However, they then—

Kassy Baker

Sorry, can I interrupt you just for one second? I just recognized you read a portion from a letter that you received, which I do have a copy here in front of me. And I believe— it’s not dated but it’s entitled Appendix and the letterhead indicates that it’s from the Vaccine Injury Support Program.

Just for the sake of the record, can you confirm that that is in fact what you have just read from?

Kimberly Warren

That is correct.

Kassy Baker

Okay, and we will enter that as an exhibit for the commissioners to read at their leisure later [exhibit number unavailable].

I’m sorry for the interruption. Please continue.

Kimberly Warren

That’s okay.

[00:10:00]

The very next sentence, they go on to say that “fortunately this flare did not require an initiation of an immunosuppressant therapy and her acute kidney injury was managed with hydration.”

And I’d like to point out that is in fact false. That is a false, inaccurate statement. They had all my medical records. I also, as a medical admin, have all my medical records. And I was definitely put on an immunosuppressant therapy. I was put on high-dose prednisone, steroids. We had a conversation, also documented, and I have the paperwork, that I had a choice of going on a chemo drug—so a chemo radiation type of drug—to enhance, to have a remission of my IgA nephropathy, or I had a choice of this high-dose steroid. And between my nephrologist and I, we decided that we would go with the immunosuppressive therapy as my treatment in order to, hopefully, get a response.

However, that did not happen. I only got a partial response after being on steroids for seven months, so this is a permanent vital organ injury.

They also stated during their medical review board—this is the Vaccine Injury Support Program—that there was no evidence of progression. Again, false. I have had two biopsies. My official diagnosis is IgA glomerulonephritis with cellular crescents and necrotizing lesions.

Take note of the word “necrotizing.” That’s a scary word when we’re talking about a vital organ. So my diagnosis is permanent and that is evidence of progression. And they also said that I was put on prednisone for my inflammatory arthritis. And so they took—

Kassy Baker

Sorry, sorry. I’m just, we’re very, very short of time here. I just wanted to clarify for the record: at what stage is your appeal in currently?

Kimberly Warren

Well, I am in the appeal process. I have sent the appeal in as of January of this year. And the last email I received was that they “did not have doctor availability.”

So they are pending doctors to have an appeal, which I also find quite ludicrous, that we’ve got a support vaccine injury program set up and we don’t have doctors ready to review people’s medical records when they’ve appealed. I cannot believe that.

Also the Ministry of Health: When my adverse report was sent to them, they also came back and claimed that it was okay, that I could go have a fourth one. There was no change to my immunization schedule. And my doctor had signed, saying that this is an acute kidney injury and that I was still undergoing treatment, that there was not a resolution to this situation.

My GFR [glomerular filtration rate] kidney function sits at 33. Every time I’ve taken one of these vaccines, I’ve taken a hit on my GFR by about 20 points. And when you get a GFR of 20, that’s dialysis and transplant. So at 33, if I go get a booster, I am 100 per cent within three days on dialysis and on a transplant list.

I’m not sure where the disconnect is between public health and what’s best for a patient in my circumstance. And how did they come to this conclusion without the medical documentation? How do they just say, “It’s okay, I can go have a fourth shot.”

Kassy Baker

I understand. That actually is the end of my questions, but I would just like to ask the commissioners if they have any further questions for you. We do not.

I would just like to thank you so much for your testimony here today on behalf of the National Citizens Inquiry.

Kimberly Warren

Thank you.

[00:14:12]

Final Review and Approval: Jodi Bruhn, September 6, 2023.

The evidence offered in this transcript is a true and faithful record of witness testimony given during the National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) hearings. The transcript was prepared by members of a team of volunteers using an “intelligent verbatim” transcription method.

For further information on the transcription process, method, and team, see the NCI website:

About these Transcripts

Summary

Kimberly Warren is a medical administrative assistant working at two hospitals and was mandated to get the COVID vaccine to keep her job. Within 72 hours after her injection she developed gross hematuria which signaled IgA glomerulonephritis, later attributed to vaccine injury. Nevertheless she was encouraged to get a fourth jab.