A Hero's Story

Healing Heroes Network is proud to provide financial assistance for treatment and therapy services to post 9/11 combat injured service members.  Read here about active duty hero Bret G...  

After 5 tours deployed to Afghanistan and 1 to Iraq left him suffering from PTSD, Bret reached out to Healing Heroes Network for help in obtaining and Alpha-Stim Unit.  This device uses cranial electrotherapy stimulation to reduce the symptoms of PTSD such as anxiety, insomnia and depression.

After applying for financial assistance through Healing Heroes Network, Bret was approved and soon received his very own Alpha Stim Unit to use at home to help ease his suffering.   

Here's what Bret had to say:

"I was suffering from severe anxiety and PTSD from multiple deployments.  The clinic on my base utilized 3 loaner Alpha-Stim devices which work wonders for patients with these conditions but could only provide treatment in office (I went in every chance I could get for 20 minute treatments).  TRICARE does not cover the Alpha-Stim despite years of proven effectiveness for sufferers of PTSD (with no drug side effects), so the doctors could write a prescription of individual use but the full cost was borne by the user (very expensive).  Healing Heroes Network came to my rescue and bought me an Alpha-Stim which I now use regularly at home.  I will now be able to address my symptoms without the aid of excessive medications and the uncomfortable side effects.  I cannot express enough how much I appreciate the help and assistance of Healing Heroes Network!  Thank you!!!!"

Healing Heroes Network is proud and honored to assist Heroes like Bret in finding hope and healing after serving our great nation!

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PTSD Awareness Day

You may have heard the words "invisible injuries" before, or even the term "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" (PTSD).  But did you know that most of today's retired combat service members are returning home from the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with this debilitating disorder?  It is hard to diagnose because it is hard to talk about. But our Heroes do not leave the sights, sounds and emotions of what they experience on the battlefield, and the symptoms of PTSD are becoming increasingly worse because of the negative stigma surrounding the term.  

PTSD is claiming families, personal relationships, careers, and even lives.  

We NEED to talk about it.

Starting in 2010, Congress named June 27th "PTSD Awareness Day". The purpose of this day is to remember that not everyone who came home from war, left the war. By raising public awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder AND its effective treatments, we are opening the door for our heroes to know it is okay to come forward and ask for help. 

Join Healing Heroes Network today and start a conversation about PTSD and how we can help our nation's Heroes overcome it.  Together, we can all help those affected by PTSD.  

For more information on ways to help, visit www.HealingHeroes.org.

PTSD Awareness Day

At Healing Heroes Network, we believe strongly in supplying the resources and support that is necessary for healing the whole hero.  This can be hard to accomplish if the hero's wounds are not visible to their friends, caregivers, and families.  Sadly, often times our brave men and women are coming home from war with "invisible" injuries, the most commonly heard in today's society being PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).  PTSD may develop after someone experiences one or more traumatic events (such as first hand combat, witnessing others being physically harmed or killed, being physically harmed themselves, etc...) The symptoms of PTSD can be debilitating to the hero, devastating to the family, and in the very worst cases, fatal.  The most common symptoms of PTSD include, but are not limited:

- Recurring nightmares or flashbacks of the event(s)
- Sleeplessness
- Lowered sense of self & self-esteem
- Depression & loss of interest
- Anger & irritability

These unfortunate symptoms have been known to lead to:

- Domestic violence & abuse
- Erratic behavior
- Decreased attention span
- Mental disorders
- Suicide 

In 2010, as an effort to educate the public and spread awareness about the issue of PTSD, the U.S. Senate declared the month of June "National PTSD Awareness" month.  In addition, June 27th has been designated as "PTSD Awareness" day by the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD).  At Healing Heroes Network, we strive everyday "through communication, education, and community outreach" to bring awareness to often undiagnosed and untreated injuries of war, and the desperate need for our services.  While many of our nations heroes are being given numerous pills and medications to mask the symptoms of PTSD, we believe in offering hope through healing.  With network providers all over the country ranging in specialty areas such as counseling, psychiatry, massage therapy, energy healing, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and many more, we have been able to offer a path to recovery for many heroes suffering from PTSD.

Join us this June 27th as we continue to spread awareness about this disorder that has wreaked havoc on so many military heroes, and their families lives.

Tablets For Heroes

In 2012, we at Healing Heroes Network saw a great need in the PTSD & TBI community.  As our society continues to become more and more technologically advanced, there are many men and women who are suffering from cognitive impairment disabilities due to their combat-related injuries.  We knew that this was an untapped area of concern that we really wanted to help our Heroes with, we just had to figure out how to reach as many people as possible, and how we could financially afford to HELP as many Heroes as possible. 

Through the Tablets for Heroes program, it is our goal to help these injured Heroes heal cognitively by allowing them to be more self-sufficient.  Tablets for Heroes strives to combat the negative stigma of those suffering with PTSD and TBI, by helping veterans with these invisible injuries to redevelop their cognitive abilities, remember medications & appointments, relax when under pressure, and open themselves to healing rather than pulling away to seclusion.  Each Tablet is downloaded with 7 specialty applications designed to assist with the symptoms of PTSD & TBI. Here is what some of our recipients have had to say:

"Thank you to HHN and everyone involved with Tablets4Heroes. You have given all of us a great gift and tool to utilize for our ongoing problems. The tablet helps keep me focused and in control. It gives me my schedule of everything that is going on in my life and keeps my mind busy with the programs that were loaded for me to help me throughout the day. It allows me to stay connected to my family, friends and other wounded warriors. Thank you from the bottom of my Purple Heart."         - Air Force Master Sgt. Ken G.

"I'd like to THANK everyone that is part of Tablets For Heroes. As a veteran with PTSD and TBI I get very restless in waiting rooms and very anxious in larger social settings, my Tablet was sent to me with specialty apps designed to keep my mind occupied and help me get through any uneasiness I experience. My memory for short term occurrences is very ‘hit or miss’, and my Tablet offers the ability to keep a calendar and set alarms as a way to prompt awareness. As well, I often misplace or forget to bring necessary documents to VA and other appointments. The Tablet enables me to maintain e-documents at my fingertips. This new tool will help me thrive. Again, many thanks!"      - Thomas H., retired Army; purple heart and bronze star recipient.

Healing Heroes Network is extremely honored and proud to be a part of the healing process for so many of our nation's bravest and most courageous Heroes, in so many different ways! If you know an injured Hero with PTSD and/or TBI who could truly benefit from the assistance of a Tablet, please have them contact us today at info@healingheroes.org! 

An HHN Hero Story

A Hero’s Story:
Spc. Austin H.

Spc. Austin H. joined the Army shortly after his 18th birthday.   Trained as a combat medic, he was assigned to the third brigade combat team, 82nd Airborne Division.  As a trauma team leader, he provided medical care to his fellow wounded soldiers.

After returning home, Austin struggled with memories of the terror he had witnessed.  His PTSD however, did not emerge until a car accident 2 years later brought all of his buried pain to the surface.  Austin's family says he  "hit rock bottom, and just 'lost it'".  Unemployment, addiction, and a "severe disconnect with  personal relationships" followed.

Austin's father Eric contacted Healing Heroes Network, hoping to "improve his life and get the help he needs".  Dr. Samuel Smithyman, (a Healing Heroes Network Provider and Air Force Veteran himself), began seeing Austin for Counseling sessions, and Austin began to take his first steps toward healing within weeks.  His sister Sara states, "Healing Heroes Network was immediately responsive and supportive. My brother began seeing Dr. Smithyman, and has really been able to turn things around."  Seconds Eric, "Healing Heroes Network's role in this incredible change is significant.  I fear that Austin may have slipped past the point of help if they had not stepped in and assisted!"

Healing Heroes Network is proud and honored to assist Heroes like Austin every day!  If you know a hero like Austin who is in need of assistance for treatment, we encourage you to have them contact us at (727)781-4376, or email to info@healingheroes.org.

Car Accidents Leading Cause of Death for Veterans Recently Returned Home

Think you know the leading cause of death for military personnel in their first year home from the war? You might be surprised.

Apps to Help Vets with PTSD: a Review of PTSD Coach

At HHN, I am definitely the technology nerd. I love learning about new software, using social media, following online trends, the works. So, when I heard that the VA helped develop an app for those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), I was very excited to see what it had to offer.

Suicide Prevention Week

If you haven't already heard, this week is Suicide Prevention Week. While soldiers may return home alive, many of them experience depression or PTSD. And unfortunately, too many will go on to attempt suicide.