Let's Bring Tula Home!!

As many of you know, I was recently given the opportunity to begin my recovery at Warriors Heart in Texas, with the gracious help of Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project. When I first decided to take advantage of this amazing, yet terrifying opportunity, one of my first thoughts was what are we going to tell everybody? People will begin to ask where I am and what should Traci and the kids say? We came up with dozens of stories until we decided wait! Why don’t we just tell everyone the truth! Why don’t we bring more awareness to the First Responders and Military communities to let those who suffer from PTSD know they are not alone! Why don’t we take the shame out of asking for help or admitting we are in over our heads?

For those who don’t know much about Post-traumatic Stress, symptoms may start immediately or maybe not until years after certain events. These symptoms cause significant problems in social or work situations and in relationships and can also interfere with your ability to go about your normal daily tasks. PTSD can cause intrusive memories including flashbacks, nightmares and night sweats. PTSD often causes negative changes in thinking and mood and could include: Negative thoughts about yourself, other people or the world, hopelessness about the future, memory problems, difficulty maintaining close relationships, feeling detached from family and friends, lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed, difficulty experiencing positive emotions and feeling emotionally numb. And then to add to all of that, symptoms of changes in physical and emotional reactions include: Being easily startled or frightened, always being on guard for danger, self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much or driving too fast, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive behavior and overwhelming guilt or shame.

I am so happy that I found Warriors Heart when I did and the friends who made this possible, I will be forever grateful—it truly saved my life! Warriors Heart created a treatment facility and program from the ground up specifically targeting First Responders, Active Military and Veterans. Their goal is to help Warriors in every walk of life, offering a variety of treatments for those undergoing the damaging effects of PTSD as well as chemical dependency. They do this by specializing in substance abuse treatment and co-occurring psychological disorders, with special attention to post-traumatic stress, unresolved grief/loss, and moral injury. Their belief is that for those who have fought battles to defend our country and our citizens, fighting the battle against addiction and depression doesn’t need to be done alone.

The last three weeks that I have been here, I have been blessed with the chance to participate in The Warriors Heart K9 Department. And that’s where I met Tula! Each dog is classified as an Emotional Support Animal or a Service Animal and I have been given the chance to adopt her! For those not aware, trained service animals typically cost $20,000-40,000. By participating in the K9 program at Warriors Heart, I have the amazing opportunity to adopt Tula for only $5,000!!! The Academy K9s are trained to travel in airlines, behave in dog friendly facilities, and they give the client another system of support that they can take home with them to continue their journey of sobriety with someone by their side. Each dog is paired with the client carefully to ensure a good match all around.

When I finish the Warrior’s Heart program in November, it is my huge hope to bring Tula home with me to join our family. I have registered at our local college to begin classes in January to continue my education, focusing on Human Services Technology/Animal Assisted Interactions. I plan to use this education along with my experience at Warriors Heart to help others who are struggling, through animal intervention. I also plan to continue to raise awareness on the effects of PTSD on First Responders, with an emphasis on law enforcement, since that is where most of my time was spent.

This whole process from day one has been a team effort! From the day I admitted I couldn’t do this alone, through where I am now, I have had more support than I ever expected. I had friends and family believing in me before I ever even left for Texas. I had people reach out to me that I hadn’t talked to in years. I have received cards, packages, texts, etc from so many people just in the short time I’ve been here and I know people have also been checking in on Traci. The amount of support we have received has been more of a blessing than any of you could ever imagine. Which is why I hate to ask for your support once again, however we need help raising the $5000 needed to bring my girl home. I will have to know by the middle of this month if I will be able to obtain the funding for Tula, so timing is kinda of the essence. If you could make a small donation, I know we can reach $5,000 in no time! No amount is too small! Again I thank you all for the support you have offered me and my family—please know we could never have made it this far without you!