Carole Garcia

I grew up in eastern North Carolina, right between two major Marine Corps bases. Military service and aviation weren’t just interests — they were the world I lived in. Watching the Blue Angels tear across the sky as a kid didn’t just inspire me; it set my life’s trajectory. It pushed me into NJROTC, where two instructors became the mentors who shaped my character, my discipline, and my dream of becoming an astronaut. They taught me leadership, communication, and teamwork — the foundation of everything I’ve achieved and everything I’m still fighting for.

I carried that drive into college at a military institute, attending on a soccer scholarship. My “do or die” mentality was forged there — a mindset that would later save my life.

On October 14, 2011, everything changed.

I was a passenger in a head‑on collision on my way to campus. The impact tore open my abdominal aorta, intestines, right carotid artery, and an artery deep in my brain. I was bleeding out internally, but I stayed awake and fought to survive until I reached the hospital. The surgery that saved me nearly killed me: blood clots broke loose and caused two massive ischemic strokes, leading to emergency brain surgery, a coma, and life support.

I was 21 years old.

When I woke up, I couldn’t sit up. I couldn’t breathe on my own. I couldn’t move the left side of my body. Everything I had built my life around — aviation, service, strength, independence — was suddenly gone.

But my training kicked in. Adapt and overcome.

Once I was stable enough for rehabilitation, I attacked recovery with the same intensity I once brought to the soccer field and the drill deck. I surpassed every expectation doctors set for me. I relearned how to move, how to function, how to live. Eventually, I even returned to school. My path changed, but my mission didn’t: I still intend to become an astronaut, and I still intend to be the first person on Mars.

Today, I’m rebuilding from the ground up. I’m pursuing a bachelor’s in space physics and unmanned aerial systems, and I will continue into a master’s in engineering physics to seal my fate in aerospace.

But to reach the next stage of independence — and to continue my journey toward the stars — I need help.

I have found a stem cell treatment that offers real hope for recovering more mobility and function. This treatment could dramatically increase my independence and reduce the daily limitations caused by my strokes. It is my best chance to regain the physical capability I need to pursue my career and my life goals.

Your support can help me access this treatment, regain more function, and reclaim the future I’ve fought so hard to keep.

I’ve overcome every obstacle placed in front of me — and with your help, I’ll overcome this one too.