Wounded Warrior Project Supports Mental Health Awareness through Critical Programs
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 9, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Air Force veteran Keith Sekora was injured while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. Suffering from four large and approximately 18 mini strokes, Keith was left with no feeling on the left side of his body and difficulty with recall. Among his injuries, Keith is coping with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), two signature wounds of the Global War on Terrorism. To shed light on TBIs and other mental health issues, May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
"My memory is like a slideshow," Keith said. "I forget 70, maybe 80 percent of my day. And I don't remember a lot of the family stuff. I know it's in there, I just can't get to it."
Like many warriors, Keith's injuries are not visible.
In addition to WWP Talk, a non-clinical mental health support line providing emotional support, WWP offers intense multi-day mental health workshops for veterans coping with TBIs and PTSD. These help warriors and their families maintain healthy, meaningful relationships while pursuing life goals – free from the stigmas associated with mental health issues. The workshops – offered as all-male, all-female, or all-couples – are powerful, outdoor rehabilitative gatherings that connect warriors with each other and local communities.
Reconnecting warriors in the civilian world is critical to healing, which is why WWP serves them through its Peer Support program by fusing supportive rehabilitation with the military adage "Leave No Man Behind." This warrior-to-warrior support is a special therapy that reintroduces injured veterans to the unique bonds experienced during military service.
"Suddenly being around people who just understood what you were trying to do and how hard it was – it just clicked," explained Keith of his instant bonds and friendship with fellow veterans. "The hardest thing is fear – it's a natural emotion that everyone has. It's the ability to push past it that helps you move on."
If you or someone you know is interested in support for TBI or other mental health concerns, please contact the WWP Resource Center at 888.997.2586. To learn and see more about how WWP's mental health workshops connect, serve, and empower wounded warriors, visit https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/.
About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors.
SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project