On hunger strike

A week into her hunger strike, Yvonne May said she’s suffered from headaches and feels weak, but remains determined.

“There is no misunderstanding ... in my heart and soul I don’t believe it’s a misunderstanding,” she said.

May took up the hunger strike at her Maraldo Avenue home because, she said, she believes Veterans Affairs workers purposely lost paperwork needed to assist her ailing husband.

At the same time, officials with the VA indicated her husband, Carl, is cleared for help.

“The veteran ... is eligible for VA health care services based on available information reviewed by our health care system,” Bay Pines VA Healthcare System Public Affairs Officer Jason Dangel wrote in an email Wednesday. “Final determination of eligibility would take place during the enrollment process.”

Carl has a myriad of health issues, many resulting from hepatitis C, which the couple believes he contracted through vaccinations administered via air jet injector while he was in the military.

Yvonne said her belief that paperwork was intentionally lost increased after a USA Today investigation showed VA workers in medical facilities “regularly ‘zeroed out’ veteran wait times.”

Thus far, there’s no evidence that took place in Florida. Now Carl is receiving attention from VA officials, she said.

Yvonne said Carl has an appointment set with the VA in Cape Coral — more than an hour away — in early May. It’s to check his neck, she said.

“I think it’s a stall pattern. ‘Let’s do something to shut this woman up.’ But I’m not going to stop,” Yvonne said.

She said she was going to respond to U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, who wrote her a letter last week. She was also putting together a news release, she said.

Yvonne said she’s been receiving support from veterans and strangers. She said it hasn’t been a constant large crowd, just people stopping by to offer small donations and words of encouragement.

One stopped by midday Wednesday.

“Anything that calls attention to the missteps of the VA is a good thing,” North Port resident Babs Vitale said.

Vitale, who said she is a retired nurse and hadn’t known of Yvonne before recent news stories, brought Yvonne a Gatorade and was going to talk to her about the hunger strike.

“This woman is brave to take this particular action to show her displeasure at the way her husband’s been mistreated,” Vitale said.

Email: slawson@sun-herald.com