04/28/2014
My lesson in government.....
Seven years ago my journey of bringing therapeutic massage services to wounded warriors began. These services have been provided under many different umbrellas of government and non-profit organizations. I have learned and have had my eyes opened to so many things along this path, the most recent being my "final straw" lesson in government. It has been my experience that the current system we operate under takes a very questionable role in improving peoples lives in fact, I speak first hand when I say that it has even obstructed many of us from doing such a thing.
Therapeutic massage has been shown to aid tremendously in the restoration of injuries of many magnitudes and there is no more greater and at the same time more deserving population of these services that our wounded warriors. After 6 years of facing multiple grant award loop holes and changes within the DOD and the Presidency, in September 2013, under the guidance of The Office of the Army Surgeon General, I moved to San Antonio, Texas to provide Therapeutic Massage services within the pain clinic at San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). These services had been locked into the FY 2014 budget and space had been designated. On October 1st, 2013 when the government shut down our work was frozen. Three weeks later when the government opened back up, our services remained frozen. Almost the entire month of November and most of December I was told to "hang tight" because we would be getting to work soon. Around Christmas time I sent an email to my point of contact at the Army Surgeon General's Office and it was kicked back to me as undeliverable. Two weeks later I was told that my contact had retired and they had dissolved our initiative.
Over the last 7 years I have worked with men and women who have gone through what may prove to be the most traumatic experience of their lives. They return home having sacrificed so much to the government that I have seen fail them on so many levels. Veterans that have survived war, roadside bombs, mortar fire and the deaths of friends and comrades return home to a future threatened by poverty, unemployment, homelessness, divorce and su***de. These people were put in incredibly stressful situations and they put their civilian jobs and education on hold so it's not irrational to promise them benefits that help them rehabilitate as well as giving them benefits that are meant to put them back on par with their peers who had an advantage in the civilian sector while these men and women were gone fighting for the rights of the same people that got these advantages. It is alarming that PTSD, TBI and su***de are considered nearly epidemic and are the two most blaring sounds coming from the war. In every year over the last decade the percentage of veteran su***des has significantly exceeded, usually by double or triple the su***de rate of the general population. It is mind blowing to me that those of us equipped to help beyond the routine medications and long waits for mental health appointments are being challenged the way that we are.
I give an enormous amount of gratitude for the support and generosity of those who have given donations to The At Eezzz Project, especially during this time. The funds we received allowed me to continue to provide services to those who needed it the most in Texas. From January - April, along with a man named Michael from the Behavioral Health department at SAMMC, I was able to provide services to SAMMC staff. But, as government would have its way again, in March Michael was notified that his program and job were also being dissolved within the next year. My massage services to the staff would also be dissolved after that point.
But ....God truly does always have a plan. By his hand, it was my great fortune and blessing that also in September of 2013, as I moved to Texas, I met Aaron Helstrom President of Camp Freedom Ranch. Aaron is both a Marine and a Wounded Warrior and he runs his non-profit out of the DC area. I have worked closely with him over the last eight months and have witnessed a man who truly walks the walk. Since his injury 11 years ago he has seen the same system fail not only others but himself. Because of this, he started an organization whose services would fill the gaps he was seeing and experiencing, services including therapeutic massage. In October of 2013, I was invited by Aaron and the Camp Freedom Ranch board to serve as their "Therapeutic Massage Subject Matter Expert". Just last week, with the full and generous support of Camp Freedom Ranch, I relocated back to the Washington DC area to join with Aaron, the board and all of the staff in a mission of providing hope and meaningful care to those who are struggling. I look forward to updating you further as we progress.
Though I step away from government contracts and federal employment, I take one last look back from this new threshold I am in and I give nothing but pure and total gratitude that what the system really taught me was "When the power of love is greater than the love of power then, we will know peace" .... and to ALWAYS stay that course!
:-)
