"Scariest thing in my entire life!" Mother says her daughter rushed to the ER after receiving HPV vaccine

WAUKESHA (WITI) -- New questions about the HPV vaccine -- after a Waukesha family claims the shot may have killed their 12-year-old girl. Many medical professional say the vaccine is safe -- but another family is sharing their story. They say their daughter was rushed to the emergency room after receiving the HPV vaccination.

12-year-old Meredith Prohaska's funeral is set for Saturday, August 9th. If it is determined that the HPV vaccine led to her death, it will be considered a very rare occurrence.

So what are the odds another local girl had a similar reaction after getting the shot?

"Scariest thing in my entire life. Scariest thing in my entire life!" Jill Swanson said.

It was July 23rd. Swanson's 17-year-old daughter got two vaccinations on July 22nd -- one for meningitis, and the other for HPV.

Swanson's daughter received the "Gardasil" HPV vaccine. Swanson says she soon realized something was very wrong.

"I follow her into the living room and she can barely walk," Swanson says of her daughter.

Swanson realized she needed to call the doctor -- and fast.

"As I'm talking to the nurse, my daughter goes 'I'm having trouble breathing and my chest hurts,'" Swanson said.

Swanson says she took her daughter to urgent care. When the girl arrived, doctors called 911.

Greenfield paramedics rushed the 17-year-old girl to the emergency room.

"He kept saying to her 'you have to stay with us.' She was completely out of it. They transported her to Children's (Hospital) right away," Swanson said.

She was hospitalized for hours -- and numerous tests were performed. Eventually, the girl was released from the hospital -- and she is okay.

One week later, 12-year-old Meredith Prohaska received the HPV vaccine. Her mother says within a few hours of receiving the vaccine, Meredith was on the floor -- unresponsive. She died later that day.

"If I could do anything for one more hug, one more 'I love you,' it would mean the world," Rebecca Prohaska said.

In Meredith's case, police say an autopsy was inconclusive as to how the girl died. Further tests are being done.

In the case of the 17-year-old girl, her mother says a swollen arm can be telling.

"The doctor feels it was from the shot -- a combination of shots. The shot that was in that arm -- was definitely Gardasil. Do the risks outweigh the disease? I don't know," Swanson said.

The Centers for Disease Control says it did a study in 2011 on specific adverse reactions -- following more than 600,000 doses of Gardasil -- and that included potential life-threatening allergic reactions, compared with adolescents who received other vaccines.

The CDC says none of the adverse reactions were found to be any more common after a person receives an HPV vaccination, versus the comparison groups.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the HPV vaccine via the CDC's website.

CLICK HERE to access FAQs about the HPV vaccine via the CDC's website -- including information about side effects.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved two vaccines for HPV -- Gardasil and Cervarix.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Gardasil and its side effects.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Cervarix and its side effects.

CLICK HERE to learn more about HPV and Gardasil via the FDA's website.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Gardasil's safety, via the FDA's website.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Human papillomavirus (HPV) via the CDC's website.

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