Unity. Service. Navigation. These three words stand behind the letters “USN” that overlap the fouled anchor emblem of a United States Navy Chief Petty Officer. To civilians, they’re just an abbreviation. To retired Senior Chief Petty Officer Karen Reyes Benzi, MSN, RN, OCN, they represent history, fraternity, and lifelong responsibility to her fellow Sailors. Today, those same principles anchor her work as a hematology oncology nurse at Smilow Cancer Hospital.
At Smilow Cancer Hospital’s North Pavilion 7 Adult Hematology-Oncology outpatient clinic, Karen cares for patients with blood cancers who are receiving chemotherapy, CAR T‑cell therapy, and stem cell transplants. When patients who identify as Veterans arrive at Smilow, care coordinators alert Karen, who makes sure their service and sacrifice are acknowledged. She meets with each veteran and presents them with a Smilow Challenge Coin. She often provides counsel on how to access Veterans’ benefits and resources, especially if their disease may have a link to military service exposures like Agent Orange, radiation, contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, airborne hazards and chemicals.
In 2019, Karen crossed paths with Sheldon “Ted” Hunt, a retired Submarine Chief Missile Technician and Diver (MTC SS/DV). Newly diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Sheldon began chemotherapy in Smilow’s infusion center while awaiting a stem cell transplant. With his wife Robin at his side, Karen presented him with a Challenge Coin, and they formed “an instant bond,” Sheldon recalled. As they talked about their service, they realized they had likely been stationed at the Navy Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut, at the same time.
Sheldon filed a claim and Nexus letter with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2020, which was denied due to lack of supporting evidence. A Nexus letter is a medical document written by a provider to establish a link between a veteran’s illness or injury and their military service.
With Karen’s persistence, encouragement, and research, she helped Sheldon resubmit his claim with additional medical evidence including 44 supporting documents and a Yale study led by Rory Shallis, MD. The VA approved the claim, and Sheldon was granted disability compensation.
“Karen taught me a tremendous amount to accomplish my end goal. I am blessed Karen was placed in my life —I believe through divine intervention,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon passed the five-year cancer-free mark in October 2024, and while his AML remains in remission, he continues to work through a few side effects. Grateful for everyone involved in his care at Smilow, and especially for “Super Senior Chief” Karen, he now feels empowered to give back. Inspired by Karen’s example, Sheldon now counsels other Veterans, guiding them through the claims process and offering the same support he once received.
In the last six years, more than 400 Veterans have been counseled at Smilow. Karen is quick to point out that this would not be possible without the support of her beloved NP7 colleagues, who are always eager to notify her of a referral, write a Nexus letter, or help network to find resources for a Veteran in need.
“Filing a claim is arduous and exhausting, and many Veterans fall through the cracks because they are just too sick to endure the process,” Karen said. “The bottom line is, I owe his generation and those who came before me. Chief Hunt and I are part of a great fraternity of Navy Chiefs whose mission is to empower our Sailors —past, present, and future.”