Advocates in Action: Suzanne Gazda, MD

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Suzanne Gazda, a neurologist who has become a strong advocate for patients suffering from Long COVID and COVID vaccine injuries. Since collaborating with the FLCCC Alliance in 2022 and her work with React19, Dr. Gazda has been on the front lines of this evolving and often overlooked public health crisis.

A Silent Divide in Science and Medicine

While Long COVID has gained recognition in both scientific and mainstream circles, vaccine injury remains a controversial and under-acknowledged issue. Dr. Gazda points out that major research institutions receive funding to study Long COVID, but vaccine injury is largely ignored. This has created a fractured landscape where clinicians treating vaccine injuries often do so in isolation and without institutional support.

“There are very few clinicians that recognize vaccine injury,” Dr. Gazda explains, “and even fewer that understand the complex mechanisms of harm.”

“In early 2021 we began to see very unusual case presentationsMost patients with Long Covid and or Long Vax have multiple symptoms including autonomic nervous system dysfunction POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) or dysautonomia, inappropriate tachycardia, shortness of breath, syncopal episodes, gastrointestinal issues, difficulty swallowing, extreme fatigue, and post exertional malaise. Patients also complained of new severe body pain, brain fog and serious memory issuesnusual movement disorders including an internal tremor where the patient feels like they can’t control their body.”

As if this wasn’t enough, Dr. Gazda also started seeing younger patients who presented with diseases normally seen in the elderly, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. She began to note a rise in autoimmune disease and other neurodegenerative diseases in her practice.

A major challenge, Dr. Gazda says, is that many patients remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed—often because clinicians don’t even consider vaccine injury as a possibility. This is partly due to the lack of information in medical journals, the suppression of patient stories in mainstream media, and institutional denial.

“When doctors don’t understand what’s happening, they may dismiss it as a Functional Neurological Disorder (FND),” she says. “But in this day and age, FND is a dangerous diagnosis. It disregards the real, physical suffering these patients endure.”

She continues, “COVID vaccine injury must be put into our differential diagnosis. Every clinician needs to ask number one, have you had COVID? How many times? Number two, have you had the COVID vaccine? If so, how many? That must be part of our history taking now, because I guarantee you that will also help us figure out what is going on in our practices.”

The division between the Long COVID and vaccine-injured communities only compounds the issue. While Dr. Gazda treats both groups, she observes that some providers refuse to acknowledge the possibility of vaccine injury. This fragmentation hinders collective progress and patient care.

Cost is another barrier. Many treatments for vaccine injury are not covered by insurance, leaving patients to bear the financial burden themselves. “I’ve seen patients spend their life savings trying to get better,” Dr. Gazda shares. “They’re often unable to work or care for their families.”

While a complete cure remains elusive, symptom management and quality-of-life improvements are achievable. Her clinic’s holistic, individualized approach has helped many patients find stability and regain a sense of control.

She also starts with compassionate listening, validation of their symptoms and restoring hope.

“They’ve been sick for years, and they’ve lost hope,” she says. “So the first thing we do is give that hope back. We tell them: we will do everything we can to help you.”

Recent political shifts—such as funding cuts and rapid changes to antiquated health policies—have created uncertainty about the future of healthcare and research. However, there is also hope. New health officials are bringing renewed attention to vaccine injury, with growing calls for better insurance coverage, vaccine safety evaluation, and well-funded studies.

Dr. Gazda believes that collaboration, not division, is the path forward. She hopes to see unity between Long COVID and vaccine-injured communities, equitable insurance coverage, and a medical system that listens to and believes patients.

When asked how the public can help, Dr. Gazda’s response was simple: support React19. “They are doing amazing work,” she said. “There are providers and clinics nationwide that can help support those with vaccine injury.”

Dr. Suzanne Gazda is not only treating patients—she’s changing the conversation. Through empathy, scientific inquiry, and fierce patient advocacy, she stands with those often left behind. And thanks to her and others like her, there’s a growing movement to ensure no patient is dismissed, and no story goes unheard.