A Call for Help, Answered
Jackie is a natural born helper. She joined the military to fulfill a greater purpose, first serving in the Illinois Air National Guard in 2011 and later joining the U.S. Coast Guard in 2015 where she serves today as a Naval Engineering Officer.
Her drive to put the military, her team and the mission first put her in the spotlight within the Coast Guard, however, other challenges remained in the dark.
“I was safe to deploy after I had 2 miscarriages. I was safe to deploy when I needed shots in my lower back just to stand watch, I was safe to deploy weeks after having surgery, but I was no longer an ‘asset’ and safe to deploy when I asked for mental health assistance.”
“I went from being awarded as the enlisted female of the year for the Coast Guard to feeling unwanted.”
The lack of support Jackie felt in seeking care sent her into a spiral of anger, resentment and depression. The cycle of fear, anxiety and PTSD from the trauma she experienced led her to fixate on worst-case scenarios in everyday moments.
Thankfully, Jackie confided in a friend who happened to be a former participant in our Health & Wellness Program. That friend encouraged Jackie to apply and finally take time to help herself.
“Boot Campaign gave me hope. My individualized treatment pipeline reconnected me with my most feminine self, helped me communicate my most uncomfortable thoughts and feelings and helped me live physically, pain-free.”
“My entire identity doesn’t begin and end with the Coast Guard. I fell in love with the woman I am and have been able to continue bringing a more authentic version of THAT girl to every table I sit at. It’s still tough everyday, but I’m making more time for myself.”
Jackie shares that, while her healing process did take time, it was worth the work and the wait to be where she is now.
“Boot Campaign has honestly saved my life because even in my dark days now, I know I’m living everyday. I’m not ‘perfect’ or ‘fixed’ but I’m feeling much more stable and aware of my PTSD and mental health and the false script it plays in my head.”
To learn more about the individualized care and treatment provided to Veterans through Boot Campaign’s Health & Wellness Program, click here, or to make a donation so that more Veterans like Jackie can receive top-tier care for their invisible wounds of war, click here.
