Former Cpl. Billy Garrow was as fit as a soldier can get. He ran marathons, including the 50-km military Mountain Man triathlon race — a gruelling test of strength and endurance — three times..Garrow, 27, medically released from the military last month, is a shadow of his former muscular self — a 218-lb. soldier who at one point had lost 90 lbs..Garrow, who served with 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2PPCLI) at Canadian Forces Bases Shilo, Manitoba, became so ill he was preparing to die..“I used to work out three or four hours in the gym every day. Now I’m somebody that can barely walk my dog,” he said..What happened?.Well, it wasn’t the serious August, 2020, ATV accident he was in. He was recovering from that, back working out in the gym.. Billy GarrowBilly Garrow .Three non-military doctors claimed Garrow’s severe health decline resulted from the COVID-19 vaccine..After months of exhausting tests, he was diagnosed with gastritis, hiatal hernia, and severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)..“Everything seems to stem after his Moderna vaccine. I have seen other patients in the past with similar symptoms after being vaccinated to Moderna,” wrote Brandon Dr. Andrew Ahweng in an April 4, 2022 letter to Shilo Base Hospital Clinic..“At this point there is no real therapy for what appears to be side effects from the vaccination. Only symptom control. Only time will tell if these symptoms subside.”.Garrow reluctantly got his first jab on April 21, 2021 and experienced a minor reaction. .“I never wanted this vaccine. I voiced my concerns about it. The only reason I did was my battalion told us straight up … that we were going to get charged and possibly booted out of the military.”.He got a booster shot a month later. Initially he experienced “typical aches and pains, chills, pain at the injection site.”.“I had a nap. I woke up, it was like there was a switch that was turned on inside me. It was waking up with the most horrific, full body nausea you’ve ever felt. And having severe stomach pain.”.“All of a sudden I had chronic IBS — seven to 15 bowel movements a day.”.“Over the months I lost weight, a total of 90 pounds. I started at 218 pounds. I went down to 129. I kept losing weight. Eating was impossible. I was so nauseous.”.“I could barely stand up and do the dishes, barely get myself dressed. It would take me four hours to shovel my driveway and a week to physically recover from it.”.“Up until January of this year I thought maybe I had a year left to live.”.When prescribed medications failed to work Garrow started a naturopathy multi-vitamin regime and regained some weight..“This is what I’ve been doing to stop the vaccine from killing me,” he said..Garrow applied to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) for disability benefits. He was told “your diagnosis isn’t good enough” to qualify..Ahweng’s April, 2022, letter to the Shilo clinic was only one medical assessment. . Billy Garrow, doctor's noteBilly Garrow, doctor's note .In another June 29, 2022 letter to Dr. Jennifer Ardiel at CFB Shilo, Ahweng wrote “with his symptoms of nausea and vomiting and change in bowel habits it is reasonable to assume that he has had a side effect form the Moderna vaccine and has developed irritable bowel syndrome.”.In an Aug. 11, 2022 letter to Ardiel, Brandon cardiologist Ildegul Rodriguez supported the vaccine-injury claim..“He started to suffer of persistent nausea, vomiting and diarrhea from irritable bowel after Moderna COVID vaccine, which has resulted in him losing 70 pounds (at that time) of body weight.”.“He has limited his physical activities concerned with other potential adverse effect of vaccine.”.“He tells me that he has seen other young army colleagues suffering major sequela, including myocarditis and some dying.”.In a March 31, 2023 letter to Ardiel, Brandon Dr. Muthiah Karrupanchetty, who specializes in internal medicine, wrote to Ardiel..“The second dose was administered in May, 2021 and 24 hours after administering the vaccine he developed intense diarrhea. He reports to have more than 15 bowel movements a day.”.“He had a significant amount of abdominal discomfort, cramps … The weight loss has plateaued, and he has managed to gain 15 lbs of weight.”.Karruppanchetty listed several drugs that didn’t help and concurred “the GI symptoms could be an adverse effect of the Moderna vaccine.”.“I have informed him that there is no definitive cure, but symptom management is the mainstay of therapy.”.Mystery and controversy still swirl around the full impact of the vaccines..But a May, 2022 report in the National Library of Medicine concluded: .“COVID-19 vaccines caused digestive symptoms and other complications that ranged from mild to severe. While further validation is required, our results suggest that monitoring digestive symptoms following COVID-19 vaccination can help detect rather severe complications that require medical intervention.”.Garrow’s goal was to become part of Search and Rescue (SAR), but his “whole career went down the drain.”.“I joined the infantry in 2014 after graduating from high school for that reason.”.Garrow didn’t only lose his health..“I got very irritable. I drove my fiancé way,” he said regretfully..Now he awaits a disability benefits verdict..“Veteran Affairs is being my biggest kryptonite right now. I think they’re gatekeeping. They’re not going to touch my case for my vaccine injury.”.“I went from being this person who never worried about what his body could physically do to someone who doesn’t know if he can have the energy to get through a day.”.“I need to have security and financial stability to understand that I’m going to be OK for the next little bit.”.“I’m sitting here saying ‘You guys definitely f**ed me up.’ I didn’t want this. This is illegal. This is against my rights. I want some money to help me out because I never asked for this life.”.A tribunal that’s part of the CAF’s grievance process recently determined the military violated member’s Charter rights by enforcing mandatory COVID-19 vaccines..The Military Grievances External Review Committee (MGERC) said the vaccine policy was “overly broad” and recommended that all administrative actions taken against members who refused to be vaccinated be rescinded..What about those who did take it and now claim to suffer injuries?.“VAC tells you you’re the only one,” said Garrow..He isn’t the only one..“The amount of people that I’ve talked to that have vaccine injuries is probably about 100.”.A class action lawsuit involving dozens of military members who claim to be vaccine-injured is in the works..That’s in addition to lawsuits involving members represented by St. Albert lawyer Catherine Christensen with Valour Law. In total, 699 members in two class action lawsuits are seeking hundreds of millions in damages for lost income, pensions and promotions..What’s the government’s policy on vaccine-injured claims? .On September 27, Christensen filed an Access to Information request asking for “all current policies, processes, and procedures pertaining to adverse effects following immunization. That included compensation and benefits following injury or death..“I must advise you that a search of the records under the control of the Department of Justice has revealed that no records exist in response to your request,” was the response..The Western Standard specifically asked VAC for information on denied COVID-19 vaccine injury disability claims and the number of appeals before the Bureau of Pensions Advocates..The response was general vaccine injury policy cut and pasted from the website..Another request for information specific to COVID-19 vaccine inquiries was futile..“VAC does not track the causes of the conditions, only the conditions themselves. As a result, we are unable to provide further precision to this response,” wrote spokesman Marc Lescoutre..Meanwhile, people such as Garrow, who doesn’t know of he’ll join the pending lawsuit, are in limbo needing help to survive. .“I’m moving back to BC this week. My parents will be taking care of me.”
