I’m a veteran, a mechanic, and a mom. While I was deployed, I lost five of my company in one day. My best friend pulled me to safety, but died later that day. Coming back home was very hard, and I was in denial that I had PTSD. My family couldn’t relate because they weren’t in the military, and even within the military, I lacked female support.
There are still times when I don’t want to wake up. I lean on my faith, exercise, and keeping myself busy with my son to stay healthy. I sing and stay involved in the community, and I want to go back to school for nursing.
As a single parent, it’s great to have a place you can bring your kids to and have a break to do something active that we both enjoy. When you’re able to go to a place like the YMCA where they have a program specifically for veterans, it makes you feel less alone.
