Sean Hartman was 17 when he had to take a COVID-19 vaccine to play recreational hockey in Beeton, Ont. He died 33 days later.
Lawyer Shawn Buckley (L) and Conservative MP Dean Allison speak with witnesses at the Allison Inquiry in Ottawa on Sept. 11, 2026. The Epoch Times
Teenager Sean Hartman was afraid of needles, but the only way he could play recreational hockey was to take the COVID-19 vaccine, a move his father blames for his death.
Beeton, Ont., father Dan Hartman testified before the Allison Inquiry on the final day of four-day hearings on Sept. 11, saying his son was an elite athlete in perfect health before he died suddenly, 33 days after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
Sean was a shy, private, humble, and respectful youth who loved singing and action movies, his father said. He captained the Beeton Stingers hockey team and dreamed of playing in the NHL, although he knew becoming a referee was a more realistic possibility, Hartman testified.
The youth league required players to take two COVID-19 vaccines to participate in the sport. Sean was terrified of needles and had even passed out after seeing one, but his father tried to reassure him.
“He only took one [needle]. He didn’t get to his second one,” Hartman said.
Dan Hartman attends the Allison Inquiry on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 11, 2026. The Epoch Times
Sean took his first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 25, 2021. Four days later, he was rushed to hospital with deep brown circles—called transverse sinus thrombosis, a type of blood clotting—around his eyes, a rash on his face and neck, vomiting, and severe pain in his shoulder, Hartman said.
The doctor did not perform blood tests, which Hartman argued would have shown his son had a damaged heart and blood clots. Instead, the teen was given painkillers and sent home, he said.
Sean also developed severe fatigue and began taking naps during the day, which his father said was unusual for him.
On Sept. 27, 2021, Sean did not come upstairs for school. His mother and stepfather went downstairs and found him dead beside his bed, Hartman said.
It had been 33 days since his vaccination. Doctors took three months to provide the autopsy results.
“[Doctors] said the cause of death was unascertained. They couldn’t tell me why he died,” Hartman said, adding that he believes such a finding is extremely rare.
Hartman said he later contacted Texas-based heart specialist Dr. Peter McCullough, who reviewed Sean’s autopsy and concluded that the teen had myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart.
Hartman said he feels responsible to speak for Sean because his son can no longer speak for himself.
“I loved my son more than anything in this life,” he said, adding that he wants to promote what he believes is the truth to prevent other parents from suffering in the same way.
Hartman has launched lawsuits against Health Canada and Pfizer. An Ontario court ruled in 2025 that he could not pursue the federal health department, finding that the department did not owe individuals a duty of care when approving vaccines and instead owed a duty to the general public.
Dan Hartman wants answers about the death of his son, Sean, who passed away at age 17 on Sept. 27, 2021. Courtesy of Dan Hartman
The judge said the federal health department’s pandemic response mitigated the health effects of COVID-19 on the public, and that “urgent action” was necessary at the time.
In response, Hartman posted a video on social media in 2025 outlining his reason for appealing the case.
“They claimed that they did not owe Sean a ‘duty of care,’ yet they made it mandatory to take [the vaccine] to go to a restaurant, to go to a movie theatre,” he said.
The Allison inquiry, which is running from Sept. 8 to 11, has been set up by Conservative MP Dean Allison to hear from Canadians who say there were injured following COVID-19 vaccination.
‘It’s a Daily Fight’
Joseph Pritchard told the inquiry that he was a healthy 41-year-old tradesman when he received the Pfizer vaccine on May 20, 2021.
He said he began “feeling off” afterward, but his doctor attributed his symptoms to aging and possibly hypertension.
“My resting heart rate was 160 over 100, so something wasn’t right there. [But] my doctor said it wasn’t the vaccine at the time,” he said.
Pritchard received his second vaccine on July 21, 2021, and a booster dose on Dec. 27, 2021. He said his health deteriorated, and on New Year’s Eve, “all hell broke loose” as he was rushed to hospital with heart attack-like symptoms.
Joseph Pritchard speaks during the inquiry looking into COVID-19 vaccine injuries, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 11, 2026. The Epoch Times
Doctors found a 32-centimetre cyst—the size of a football—in his abdomen that was exploding. Pritchard said he vomited “black stuff” similar to a horror movie and passed blood in his urine.
He said hospital staff initially dismissed him as someone seeking drugs and sent him home, but his doctor later arranged for an ambulance to take him to intensive care.
Doctors placed Pritchard in a medically induced coma. He emerged three weeks later and spent another six months in hospital.
“It was not a nice place to be living in the pandemic,” he said.
Doctors determined that a blood clot caused the cyst, Pritchard said, and that it likely contributed to deep vein thrombosis in his right leg. The leg now functions at about 35 percent, and he has undergone three surgeries. He said he may eventually require an amputation.
Pritchard said he has difficulty walking and rarely leaves his apartment, sometimes managing only a walk around the block.
“It’s a daily fight,” he said.
He also testified about kidney and liver damage, chronic pain, and other health problems stemming from his ordeal.