Vaccine Injury of Darren Bunton
What was your life like before you received the COVID-19 vaccine?
Before I was injured by the COVID-19 vaccine in February 2021, my life was grounded in wellness, service, and innovation. I was in excellent physical and mental health — fully active, highly productive, and passionately committed to my work as a public safety innovator, entrepreneur, and advocate for accessibility and biotechnology.
Each day was a pursuit of impact. I was leading projects that addressed real-world problems: building platforms to improve web accessibility for people with disabilities, creating climate response systems for wildfire mitigation, designing assistive mobility technology, and launching biotech solutions for underserved communities. I lived with vitality and purpose — exercising daily, collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams, mentoring others, and staying deeply involved in my family and civic community.
My body supported my vision. My health was a foundation, not a burden. I never imagined it could be taken so suddenly — and as a result of a vaccine I trusted.
Describe the symptoms and the timeline of the reaction.
January 13, 2021, Pfizer Vaccine Administered
February 5, 2021, Moderna Vaccine Administered
August 10, 2021, Developed TTS
Ongoing treatment for TTS, heart condition, neuropathy, and cervical radiculopathy in addition to damage to the left brachial, ulnar, radial arteries, 5, 6, and 7, vertebrae injuries, as well as auto-immune damage.
Describe the solutions that helped your symptoms
Signed up for the V-SAFE Reporting System. Communicated with CDC and HHS through VAERS regularly. Self-Advocacy by requesting additional testing, second opinions, and seeking alternative answers. Sought psychological, social, and emotional support networks. Alternative medical and homeopathic treatment.
Which solutions were not helpful?
The absence of the U.S. government in responding to the vaccine injured. The reluctance of medical professionals to diagnose vaccine injuries due to backlash. A lack of holistic care for the vaccine injured. The limited number of resources and compensation available to the vaccine injured. As well as the limited amount of research available on the subject of vaccine injuries.
What would you like others to know?
On or around February 5, 2021, I received a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Soon after, I experienced a series of serious adverse medical events, ultimately diagnosed as Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) — also known as Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT) or VIPIT. This injury marked the beginning of an intense, painful, and life-altering journey.
Over the next several years, I underwent multiple surgeries, extensive hospital stays, invasive testing, and a rotating list of specialists and treatments — from traditional allopathic care to homeopathy and integrative medicine. My daily life was consumed by pain, rehabilitation, and uncertainty. I faced loss of income, permanent physical disability, emotional distress, and the deep disappointment of being dismissed or ignored by many institutions I once trusted.
Despite being one of the few individuals whose claim was deemed eligible for compensation through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), that acknowledgement has come only after years of medical trauma, systemic silence, and emotional struggle. The journey has not been just medical — it has been profoundly human. The grief of losing my former self. The doubt seeded by a lack of transparency. The heavy toll on my relationships, livelihood, and spirit.
