US soldier, 24, says Moderna COVID vaccine gave her debilitating heart condition

A former soldier who says she suffered a debilitating heart condition as a result of the Moderna COVID vaccine has shared explosive documents in which the military ties the shots to health conditions. 

Army National Guard Specialist Karoline Stancik, 24, told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo and former CBS reporter Catherine Herridge, she did not have any heart conditions prior to receiving the vaccine under the Department of Defense's vaccine mandate in 2021. 

She has since been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, according to a US Army memo, which ties the vaccine to the syndrome. 

Some 17,000 soldiers refused the shots, flouting the Biden administration's mandate with the support of many conservatives who agreed with their concerns over the pace at which it was produced. 

The military eventually reversed the rule in January 2023.

She claims she was released from active duty in 2022 while suffering from symptoms -  costing her her medical benefits and her salary

Army National Guard Specialist Karoline Stancik, 24, said she suffered a 'debilitating heart condition' as a result of the COVID vaccine

In Stancik's documents, military officials note a link between either a COVID infection or a COVID vaccine with the 'debilitating heart condition'. 

Doctors have fought that narrative, insisting that the condition was only worsened by the vaccine among individuals who already had pre-existing conditions.  

'The only thing that would have changed was the COVID vaccine, and that's when everything flipped upside down for me,' Stancik told Herridge in a sit-down interview posted to X.

She said that after she received the first vaccine, she started to experience cough, chest pain, sinus pressure and headaches.

But after getting the second dose one month later, Stancik said her symptoms became worse, and she started to experience a fast heart rate, neuropathic pain and difficulty breathing.

'It felt like [a] burning sensation throughout my whole body,' she shared, noting that she also felt extreme chest pain.

'It felt like a balloon was building up in my chest.' 

As she suffered through these symptoms, Stancik said she was released from active duty in 2022 - costing her her medical benefits and her salary. 

'I was neglected, and the medical care that I needed to get was not happening,' she said. 

Stancik claims she then spent three weeks driving around the country trying to get medical care as she continued to suffer.  

At times, she said, the effects were so debilitating that she even considered suicide. 

Stancik said she has had three heart attacks, a mini stroke and is now getting a pacemaker

'She was discarded as trash,' USJAG Veterans Advocate Jeremy Sorenson told Herridge. 

She did not get her medical benefits back until October 2023, when the US Army ruled that she was injured in the line of duty, Herridge reports.

In the meantime, she said she racked up more than $70,000 in medical debt.

'I have had three heart attacks, a mini stroke and I am now getting a pacemaker,' Stancik said. 

But, Sorenson said Stancik's case is not unique - and instead represents a larger trend of the Department of Defense removing benefits for injured soldiers as a cost-saving measure.

'They have the money,' said Sorenson. 'They choose to spend the money on other things.

'The Department of Defense chooses to spend its money not on its people, not on injured servicemembers, they have other priorities.' 

Stancik denied that she is trying to spread anti-vaccine propaganda

He also suggested that other servicemembers may have suffered adverse reactions to the COVID vaccine.

'The leadership in the Defense Department did not want to address that - and still does not want to address- that maybe we hurt our own people' with the vaccine mandate,' he said.

Now, Stancik and Sorenson say they hope her case will help other servicemembers who suffered side effects of the COVID vaccine get the benefits they need.

At the same time, Stancik denies that she is spreading anti-vaccine propaganda, noting: 'My story, my health, is my own.' 

In a statement to Herridge, a US Army spokesperson reportedly said that Stancik could have remained on active duty while receiving treatment.

However, Stancik denied ever being counseled on that option.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Virginia National Guard spokesman also said it is focused on 'making sure Spc. Stancik has the information and resources she needs to continue to work through her medical situation.

'Since January 2024, the VaARNG G1 Personnel Directorate has dedicated one of their most senior officers who checks in with Spc. Stancik multiple times each week to ensure pay, benefits and any other concerns are resolved as quickly as possible,' spokesman Alfred Puryear said. 

'The VaARNG G1 Personnel Directorate has worked closely with U.S. Army Human Resources Command, the U.S. Army G1 and the National Guard Bureau to ensure SPC Stancik’s medical treatment has been expedited since the LOD was approved in November 2023.'

He added that the Virginia National Guard Personnel Directorate has coordinated directly with the National Guard Bureau and Department of the Army 'to facilitate an expedited Army Board of Corrections for Military Records to address Spc. Stancik’s concerns regarding backdated orders and whether her condition warranted continued orders.'

'The team will continue to prioritize assisting Spc. Stancik as she works through the process to address her medical situation.'