I’m Katie Glaeser, 15 years old.  I received a Presidential Academic Achievement Award for five years of straight A’s.  I received my last Hepatitis B vaccine on December 10, 1998.  I became ill 13 days later.  My joints swelled up, I became achy, started having seizures and my vision deteriorated.  Nauseousness and headaches started immediately.  My kidneys stopped functioning and I gained twenty-five pounds overnight.  I haven’t been back to school since December 19^th.  I can no longer play soccer, do things with my friends, go to school or do anything a normal 15 year old enjoys.  Light, smells and sound make the pain in my head worse.  I’m too exhausted to care much anymore.  I now have to wear glasses to correct my vision; but I still have only half of my normal vision.  I don’t have any desire for food; I’m becoming allergic to all kinds things.  My day centers on managing pain and exhaustion, not the normal stuff for a 15 yr. old.