(NewsNation) — Karoline Stancik, a former National Guard specialist, retired this week from the Army.
“They’re lucky I’m not dead, whether by suicide or medical emergency. They’re lucky,” Stancik said on “CUOMO.” “It was the closest thing to hell in my life. I contemplated suicide.”
Stancik, 24, said Friday that she was “abandoned by the military” after suffering three heart attacks and a stroke after receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. She said her retirement is “bittersweet.”
“It’s a love/hate relationship. It’s a bittersweet moment,” Stancik said. “It brings up a lot of negative emotions because of the traumas I had to face throughout this whole time. I’m 24. I shouldn’t be retired, you know?”
Over the summer, Stancik was granted relief by the military.
After three heart attacks, one stroke, an emergency pacemaker surgery and countless battles with the Department of Defense, Stancik got “full relief” from her case.
Jeremy Sorenson, director of Uniformed Services Justice and Advocacy Group, which help injured service members deal with the Pentagon’s bureaucracy, previously praised NewsNation’s “CUOMO” for motivating the DOD leadership.
“Maybe not necessarily because it was the right thing, but after being exposed, they had no choice but to correct this injustice,” Sorenson said.
He added that Stancik’s case is similar to those of thousands of veterans who face challenges when dealing with the Department of Defense.
