HOW WOUNDED WARRIORS FIND HEALING WITH HORTICULTURE & TACKLE TOXIC WASTE S.927/H.R. 2127 TEAM ACT LEGISLATION! (2942 hits)
For Immediate Release From Wounded Warriors Project!
Warriors Grow Hope in Life’s Garden
A sprout quietly bursts through the earth, absorbing its first taste of direct sunlight. Similarly, injured veterans grew to find healing through a therapeutic horticulture class at Cape Fear Botanical Garden with Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP).
“This was very relaxing and calming,” said Army veteran James Martin. “It was a great way to get out of my shell and build camaraderie through mutual interest. It also presents a new skill that I can take home. Being able to work with and grow this new skill at home is a great memory of this class.”
Warriors often face a challenging transition to civilian life as they learn how to live with their wounds — both visible and invisible. Opportunities like this horticulture class help veterans learn how to cope while providing a supportive community of others who know what they’re going through.
Learn more about how WWP events empower warriors on their journeys to recovery. The class was adapted to warriors’ conditions, abilities, needs, and goals. It offered gardening practices through adaptable hands-on activities designed to heal, inspire, and restore. This class can reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness because it helps warriors relax.
“Understanding a plant’s resilience, how they are affected by changing conditions, and the impact of nurturing can have profound comparisons to things that have happened in our own lifetime,” said Amy Stidham, Cape Fear Botanical Garden therapeutic horticulture program manager.
Amy said many veterans tell her it is hard to find “normal,” especially when things keep changing. Growing plants can give warriors a little control over their lives. “I found that, like seedlings, my mental health needs to be attended to and given all the essentials to grow and become strong and healthy,” said Army veteran Anthony Davis. “Sometimes things are not always nice above the surface, and sometimes the roots can be the underlying issues. So don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and weed out the bad interfering with your progress.”
Veterans learned how to create raised beds, support structures, and garden art. They also learned how to grow, tend, and nurture plants and prepare healthy foods from their harvest. In addition, they discussed shared experiences and inspirations through garden walks and journaling.
“When the night terrors and negativity of headaches arrive, I can think about a positive experience that I have participated in, like this event,” said Air Force veteran John Goubeaux. “I just have to trust in the fact that I have the ability to refocus my thoughts to a positive time that also helped others.”
Amy taught warriors responsible and beneficial ways to improve their environment by practicing in their own backyard. They focused on the best ways to care for plants and encourage a natural balance in the garden.
Learning skills through classes like this can positively affect multiple areas in veterans’ lives, including personal well-being and home life.
“This provides another way to connect as a family because I can pass these skills to my children,” James said. “I can focus on my family and myself with a positive mindset.”
Contact: Rachel Bolles — Public Relations, rbolles@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.646.6941
About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers — helping them achieve their highest ambition.
How Wounded Warrior Project is Tackling Toxic Exposure
For nearly two decades, post-9/11 veterans have been exposed to contaminants such as burn pits, toxic fragments, radiation, and other hazardous materials on deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and elsewhere. Now, many of them are experiencing severe, rare, and early-onset health conditions. Since these illnesses often do not manifest until years after discharge, many veterans struggle to obtain health care and benefits from the Department of Affairs (VA) in connection with these conditions.
“Wounded Warrior Project believes that veterans of all eras who suffer from toxic exposures deserve access to lifesaving health care and a system that requires VA to respond to scientific data in a timely, transparent manner,” said Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. “We can and must honor the service and sacrifice of our nation’s warriors by working with Congress to provide the necessary care and resources to help those suffering from these wounds of war.”
WWP is committed to addressing veterans’ toxic wounds veterans as urgently as we address other physical and invisible wounds of war. Guided by feedback gathered in our 2020 Annual Warrior Survey, we have identified toxic exposure as a priority to address with Congress. The survey data showed 89% of survey respondents indicated they were “definitely or probably” exposed to toxic substances during their military service. Of those, 98% report one or more symptoms or illnesses related to those exposures. The largest sources of exposure were burn pits (85.7%); sand, dust, and particles (75.5%); occupational hazards such as solvents and asbestos (43.7%); pesticides (30.3%); and depleted uranium (20.3%).
Learn more about toxic exposure, WWP’s other legislative priorities, and how we work with our nation’s leaders to improve the lives of wounded veterans and their families. While WWP survey data provides an overview of how toxic exposures affect the population we serve, it does not capture the individual challenges that exposed warriors face daily. They struggle with health problems associated with their severe illnesses. Their health struggles are compounded by policies that often make it difficult for them to access the health care and benefits they desperately need. Some of these warriors chose to share their stories under pseudonyms to protect their identities:
Most of “Steve’s” service took place before 9/11 in the U.S. Navy. During that time, he served on a foreign deployment to the Red Sea and at two domestic duty stations, where he reports he was exposed to toxic substances. He completed his service in 2003 and was shocked to be diagnosed in 2016 with stage 4 neuroendocrine tumor cancer (NET). The rare form of cancer resulted in harmful tumors in and around Steve’s adrenal glands. In 2019, he filed a claim for VA disability compensation, asserting that military toxic exposures caused his cancer. VA promptly denied the claim without seeking a medical opinion because he did not have a NET diagnosis in service.
“Sarah” served as a logistics officer and quartermaster in the Army National Guard.
While deployed to Iraq, she suffered exposure to neurotoxins emitted by open-air burn pits. In 2006 after returning home, Sarah was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which she believes was caused by burn pit exposure. While this is a serious and debilitating illness, she was fortunate to be diagnosed while she was still in service. Consequently, VA recognizes Sarah’s disability as service-connected, and she was retired from the National Guard in 2008. Since then, our Independence Program team has been working with her to help maximize her independence.
Serving in the U.S. Army and National Guard for more than 20 years, “Jeff” deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. As an Army Sapper disarming improvised explosive devices, Jeff’s job involved countless hazardous missions. While overseas, he always seemed to be covered with dust. When Jeff left the Army 10 years ago, he did not know that a rare and aggressive leukemia that carries a high mortality rate was taking root inside his body. When our WWP service officer first met Jeff in 2016, he was a physically fit 49-year-old who liked to run and did not smoke or drink. Two years later, his cancer had destroyed his immune system. A recent test showed levels of heavy metals that exceeded three times the normal upper limit. Yet even though he has produced every piece of evidence requested, we have been unsuccessful in obtaining a medical opinion supporting the connection between his toxic exposure and leukemia.
Key Bills to Support Veterans Affected by Toxic Exposure
Because the primary issue with toxic exposures is proving eligibility, WWP is supporting legislation that will reform existing policies and improve access to care and eligibility criteria. These key pieces of legislation, supported by numerous members of Congress, other veterans service organizations, and WWP, include:
S.927 / H.R.2127 TEAM Act
Grants VA healthcare enrollment eligibility to all veterans who suffered toxic exposures while in service, regardless of their service-connected disability claim status.
Adopts a framework that requires VA to establish presumptive service connection when there is scientific evidence of association between all toxic exposures and illnesses.
