Our Story

Heather McCarthy and Lee Ford are two loving moms, a lawyer and a nurse, connected by the shared misfortune that no parent should ever have to experience. Both of their children were harmed unnecessarily by inappropriately prescribed medications.

Through social media, Heather and Lee have connected with thousands of others suffering from the same fluoroquinolone toxicity, several of whom have lost loved ones. The experience has compelled them to create this platform to increase awareness of the importance of informed consent and evaluation of risk vs. benefit of any health treatment.

HEATHER AND SHEA

Heather’s son Shea suffered a devastating fate after being prescribed Levaquin, a fluoroquinolone-class antibiotic. Since the late 1980s, fluoroquinolones, including Levaquin, have been found to cause a host of horrific health effects, and by 2011, Levaquin, made by Jansen Pharmaceuticals, was ranked as the FDA’s third most dangerous drug based on adverse event reporting. (Needs source reference and link to under knowledge) 

However, the public is not adequately informed of the dangers associated with these drugs, and few doctors are educated about or made aware of the potential life-altering or life-ending outcomes that can arise from the drug’s use. Shea suffered a host of adverse effects — digestive issues, confusion, anxiety — which he immediately connected to the drug. Shea and Heather continued to seek and trust  the help of conventional doctors, which led to the addition of numerous other medications, including a mood stabilizer (Lamictal), an antipsychotic (Risperdal), and a benzodiazepine (Ativan), the combination of which proved fatal. 

After Shea’s death in 2015, Heather testified with other victims of fluoroquinolones before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the harmful effects of Levaquin.  The hearings resulted in FDA black box warnings (link to explanation of what these are in the Knowledge section) and the determination of Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability (FQAD).  

LEE AND CHARLIE

Lee’s daughter, Charlie, was also prescribed Levaquin and experienced similar adverse effects as Shea; these included joint pain, headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and anxiety. Charlie went from being a top Canadian swimmer to suffering from excruciating pain and barely being able to move her arms or legs for months. The FDA black box warning that Heather’s testimonial helped put in place validated Charlie’s symptoms as being that of a fluoroquinolone toxicity. Like so many others suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity, Lee and Charlie struggled to find health care professionals who were knowledgeable about the condition and who even believed that Charlie’s symptoms were legitimate and related to the Levaquin she received. Fortunately, Lee was eventually able to connect with professionals who helped Charlie holistically, utilizing a clean diet and natural supplements.

Lee believes that Charlie is alive today due to the willingness of people like Heather to share their stories of adverse-treatment reactions so often ignored by health professionals.  When Lee came across a news article reporting the death of Heather's son, Shea, she reached out to Heather to discuss the issues Charlie was experiencing and ways to seek accountability against the prescribing providers. By this time, Heather had initiated a lawsuit of her own to address Shea’s destructive treatment by his mental health providers.  Lee also decided to pursue legal action and in 2017 Heather became part of Charlie’s legal team for her malpractice suit. Both legal cases were successful, but for Heather and Lee the goal was not compensation but rather to create awareness so others would not suffer as their children had.