‘One In A Million’ Johnson & Johnson Blood Clot Case Recovering ‘Slowly’ After 3 Brain Surgeries

Following the pause of the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration on April 13, it was revealed that at least six cases of blood clots were being investigated in relation to the shot.

One woman, an 18-year-old from Nevada who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, has undergone three brain surgeries to repair blood clots after suffering seizures, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the family.

Emma Burkey received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine at the beginning of April and began feeling sick after receiving the shot.

Burkey was revealed to be one of six women in the U.S. who developed a rare brain blood clotting disorder after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The disorder, also known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, typically affects about five people in 1 million each year, according to Cedars Sinai.

Burkey was first treated at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson, Nevada, after which she was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California for specialized treatment.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that she has since been taken out of an induced coma and is off of a respirator.

“She is improving slowly,” Bret Johnson, a spokesman for the family, told AP News. “The word we got from her parents last night was ‘slowly, slowly slowly.’”

Her parents have only been allowed to visit her briefly each day due to COVID restrictions, the news outlet said.

The news of Burkey’s health situation comes as it is speculated that health officials are going to give the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine the green light this week with restrictions on possible populations to receive the shot.

To date, there has been no official word that there is a link between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the women’s blood clots which are considered extremely rare. However, health officials have warned anyone that has received the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine to watch for warning signs that include severe headache, abdominal pain, and shortness of breath.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the FDA, is reviewing the women’s cases and has warned doctors against giving heparin, a blood thinner which could worsen the condition. The CDC has said that in Burkey’s case, she was given heparin, according to the AP.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with “expenses of her treatment, airlift, and the 100 other things that happen when life is interrupted.”

The page reads, in part, “If you follow the national news, the J & J vaccine has been put on hold because of these rare cases. Unfortunately, Emma is the 'one in a million' here.”

The GoFundMe page has raised $27,350 as of Wednesday morning.

More than 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. to date.