Hello Family and Friends!

I've been participating in Project Hero's 2018 Challenges and hope that you'll support me on the rest of my journey for the year! 

Project Hero is an organization that is very special to me. I'm a 32-year-old Navy veteran diagnosed with PTSD and MST.  I've experienced first-hand the traumatizing and isolating effects that we veterans have to face after serving. It is organizations like Project Hero that create a sense of community, camaraderie, and show us veterans that we are NEVER alone, pushing us to limits we never thought possible. 

While on deployment, I was raped by a superior and sexually harassed on a daily basis. While in the service, I suppressed a lot of what was going on because I was told "what happens on deployment, stays on deployment." I was young and naive and felt like I didn't have a voice. I accepted my role and counted down the days until my "prison sentence" was over. After my term of service ended, I was never the same. What I thought was my newfound freedom had begun, but I was voiceless for so long that I didn't know how to process my emotions and/or actions. I tried getting help from outside sources, but nothing seemed to work. It wasn't until August of 2017 when I received a call from Project Hero that my life changed. 

Before getting involved with Project Hero I was in a very bad place. I was beginning to contemplate suicide, and my mind was thinking that life could not get better so I was looking for an out. Thankfully, I was invited to the Great Lakes Challenge and this immediately gave me a purpose and some accountability in my life. I attended that Challenge and rode EVERY MILE. This was not an easy feat. I had to work hard to get through each and every mile, but I did it. I had accomplished something, which gave me a PURPOSE.  I can't tell you all enough how this program has helped save my life. 

Will you please support me with a donation of any amount? The more we raise, the more veterans can take part in Project Hero's life-changing experiences! I want to make an impact on other veterans' lives, and let them know there is No Vet Alone!

Thank you very much, 
Candise