Healing PTSD One Stitch at a Time
Cross-stitching entered David Jurado’s life early – handed down from his mother, needle and thread included. But, like most childhood lessons, he didn’t realize its value until much later.
“My mom was into cross-stitching all her life, and when I was 8, she gave me a cross-stitch kit of a teddy bear holding a Christmas present. I think that was her way of trying to get me to sit still, and it just didn’t work,” said David.
As a spirited kid, David had little patience for cross-stitching. Back then, sitting down and putting tiny X-shaped stitches in a piece of fabric seemed too boring for an energetic boy who was always in motion. But his mother’s hobby lingered in the background of his life.
Years later, after serving in the U.S. Army, the slow rhythm of stitching offered David something unexpected—peace. The threads that once couldn’t hold his attention eventually helped him hold everything together. Through cross-stitching, David found calm, focus, and healing after leaving the military.
A Call to Serve
Service came naturally to David. He became a police officer in South Carolina, but after the 9/11 attacks, he enlisted in the Army.
He trained at Fort Benning in Georgia and deployed to Iraq in 2007, where he spent fifteen months. His tour included the siege of Sadr City, a place many veterans recall. After returning stateside, David continued serving in the Army Reserves until 2013.
The transition from structured military life to the uncertainty of civilian life was jarring. The loss of fellow soldiers, alongside the pressure of becoming a protector, provider, and eventually a father, carried a heavy weight.
“I was really easily agitated, always irritable,” David said. “I would have panic attacks and anger outbursts at work, which caused me to lose a few jobs. And I started experiencing flashbacks.”
At the time, most people had little understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although it became a diagnosable condition in 1980, it still carried a heavy stigma despite being a signature injury of war.
Separating From the Past
David tried to manage his PTSD symptoms as best he could, but he felt alone. The camaraderie he once felt while serving was distant. Others, he soon learned, were struggling, too.
Of the brothers he served alongside, David lost 26 to suicide after service.
Unfortunately, for many veterans, this story is too familiar. According to the Wounded Warrior Project Warrior Survey*, more than 1 in 4 warriors have experienced suicidal thoughts within the past year.
At his lowest point, David would lock himself in a bathroom just to get through the day. “I would turn off the lights. I’d blast a little water on my face and sit on the floor until I calmed down.”
The pressure spilled over into his family life, testing his role as a father and straining his marriage to his wife, Christie. David remembers the night that changed everything.
“I was sitting on the patio with my headphones on,” David said. “My wife came up behind me holding our youngest son, who was 6 months old at the time.”
David's nervous system triggered in that split second, and he responded like he was back in combat. “I was surprised and freaked out. I grabbed her and almost hurt her while she was holding our son in her arms,” he recalled.
His actions, as well as his wife’s response, gave him the wake-up call he needed.
“She’s a strong woman,” David said about his wife Christie. “Right then, she told me I needed help – and that night, I slept in a tent in the backyard. I think she recognized it as PTSD because her dad is a veteran. I was very fortunate that she recognized it. Without her, I could have spiraled out of control, or something worse could have happened.”
A New Outlook to Healing
David sought help through multiple resources. He worked with a therapist through Veterans Affairs (VA) and joined a local church group, but nothing seemed to make a lasting difference. It wasn’t until he started readjustment counseling at a VA Vet Center that he began to feel like he was truly on a path to healing.
Although he began to find his footing, David hadn’t quite found an outlet to quiet his mind and help him find peace. Then, a chance encounter with his father-in-law opened a door he didn’t see coming.
One afternoon, David saw the man he respected as the family’s patriarch working on a cross-stitch pattern.
“I had always kind of looked at cross-stitching as a girl thing,” David said. “But here was my father-in-law working on a pattern. He served 38 years with the Army, served in Vietnam, and was awarded several Purple Hearts. He told me he does cross-stitch to help keep his mind off things.”
David realized that if a man who had seen so much warfare could find solace in stitching, maybe he could, too. With his wife's help, he started working on small, simple patterns. Then came the intricate ones: beading, borders, and detailed designs.
“It was good for me to slow down and just focus on needle and thread and push everything else away,” David said.
Finding Connection and Sharing Hobbies
Around the same time, David saw an ad for Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) on social media. Curious, he contacted the Resource Center, registered, and soon found himself on a Project Odyssey retreat, a multi-day mental health program that uses adventure and outdoor activities to support veterans and help them build resilience.
There, among other veterans, David found comfort in connection.
I can’t walk around with a rifle and ammo anymore, so, I had to replace those tools with things I knew were going to help me with my PTSD.
“At that Odyssey, and after meeting with other warriors, I quickly established a network of friends and camaraderie again,” David said.
During one of the sessions, a group leader asked participants to share their hobbies. David hesitated. Something about cross-stitch still felt like a secret. The next day, a volunteer pulled him aside and asked, “So there’s nothing you like to do as a hobby?”
David leaned in and whispered, “I cross-stitch and didn’t tell anyone because it’s not really a guy thing.”
The volunteer looked at him and told him that no one was there to ridicule or make fun of him, so he should “own it.”
After returning from the Project Odyssey, something shifted.
“And when I came back home, everything started falling into place,” David said.
Finding the Right Tools
“In Iraq, you carry everything on your IBA [interceptor multi-threat body armor system] so that your mission is effective. But I can’t walk around in public carrying an IBA. Believe it or not, I miss putting it on; even though it was heavy, it felt like I could take on the world.”
But in civilian life, there was no IBA. So, David built a new kind of armor.
“I can’t walk around with a rifle and ammo anymore,” David said. “So, I had to replace those tools with things I knew were going to help me with my PTSD.”
This time, his ammunition was his service dog Willett, a journal, and a small pouch of cross-stitch supplies. “Cross-stitching is an important part of my toolkit,” he said.
That realization eventually became something more — a way to give back.
Crafting a New Mission
David and his wife admire some of his completed cross-stitch projects.
After the Project Odyssey retreat, David took a chance and brought his cross-stitching to a Vet Center meeting.
“I wanted to test the waters, to see if any of the guys would make fun of me,” said David.
But they didn’t. Instead, they leaned in, intrigued.
Soon, David led a small group of eight veterans through their first pattern, a simple design of the video game character Mario. Today, David teaches cross-stitch virtually to other warriors nationwide through WWP’s connection events.
What began as a private form of therapy is now a bridge to help others heal. Under David’s guidance, a growing community of veterans is finding connection and calm with needle and thread.
“If there’s one thing that I hope each participant who attends my class takes away, it’s effort,” said David.
“Signing up for the class means you're determined to find an outlet and move towards your goal and healing. So, even if you decide that cross-stitch is not for you, don't lose that effort. Continue your search for something that brings you joy.”
Shaping the Future, Advocating for Change
When he’s not teaching others to cross-stitch, David speaks out about WWP, shares his experiences, and raises awareness for veterans’ well-being. It’s another way of giving back and reminding him how far he’s come.
David with WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Walt Piatt.
David now serves as a WWP peer mentor and has stepped into the world of veteran advocacy. In March 2025, WWP selected him to represent the Fayetteville, North Carolina area in Washington, DC, where nearly 100 other warriors came together to meet with Congressional leaders about veteran issues.
During the event, David walked the halls of Congress, met with liaisons, and shared his story to help shape policies impacting veterans nationwide.
“Getting to visit Capitol Hill and meet other warriors was awesome. Being educated on the bills and advocating for them brought a sense of accomplishment and knowing that I was making an impact rather than sitting on the sidelines,” he said.
One highlight from the trip was a photo with a state congressman, which now hangs in David’s home alongside a picture of him with WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Walt Piatt.
“It’s humbling when you’re told that these monuments are standing because of our continued sacrifice for our great nation,” he said. “I would go again in a heartbeat.”
A Symbol of Strength in Every Stitch
David’s cross-stitching has become something far greater than a personal hobby – it’s become a way to connect, give back, and share a piece of himself with others. He often gives his finished projects as gifts and even takes pattern requests from family and friends.
One project holds extra special meaning: stitching the WWP logo, which signifies one warrior carrying another. WWP provided David with a pattern, and in just over a month, he completed the design. Today, it hangs proudly in his office.
“It feels good to see it and be reminded of the mission to honor and empower,” he said.
No matter where life takes him, on a flight, in a waiting room, or winding down after a long day, David’s cross-stitch kit is never far from reach.
“Things get pretty simple when you’ve got a needle and thread in your hand.”
*Warrior Survey, Wave 3 (conducted June 15 - Aug. 24, 2023)
Contact: Clarissa Schearer – Communications, cschearer@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.570.7216
About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project is our nation’s leading veterans service organization, focused on the total well-being of post-9/11 wounded, ill, or injured veterans. Our programs, advocacy, and awareness efforts help warriors thrive, provide essential lifelines to families and caregivers, and prevent veteran suicides. Learn more about Wounded Warrior Project.
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