How much does it take to save a life?
Today my six year old son Colson Carey III overheard me mention how a donor from Washington, D.C. sent $1,000.00 to Hidden Wounds to help us save the lives of Veterans. Colson said, “Wow that’s a lot of money.” He asked how much it takes to save a life. While it is difficult to answer Colson, I must say that Hidden Wounds is turning a painful, gut wrenching moment for one family into a healing opportunity for others.
Hidden Wounds is in place to fill a void, while also showing Veterans they are not alone. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs and independent researchers, the suicide rate of young veterans is up 26% from 2005 to 2007.
I’m a Veteran and my dad is a Veteran. Today as I looked at my six year old son, I thought of Mills Bigham, son of John Bigham and brother of Anna Bigham. I wondered what Mills must have been like when he was six years old. Mills, a former Marine, took his own life on Oct. 19th, 2009. Mills was 23 years old. I looked again at Colson eating hard candy with his snaggle toothed grin and I got choked up. Yes, this former Marine cries, and gets excited. I get excited because I’ve joined a challenging mission, the fight to save lives.
I have the opportunity to help others and that same door is open to you as well, due to Mills’s tragic suicide and Anna Bigham’s response to it. After Anna’s brother took his own life, she started sharing her experience with Mills’s post combat stress injuries in determination to save lives. What started out as Anna sharing her story with the hope of saving lives has become a 501(c)3 founded in January of 2010.
You can support Veterans through Hidden Wounds, a non-profit organization headquartered in Columbia, S.C. You can help Hidden Wounds provide temporary counseling to Veterans dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, depression and other psychological challenges. You can help us supplement the efforts of Veterans Affairs agencies.
Hidden Wounds seeks to save lives through fundraising efforts that allow the organization to serve the high demand and need for psychologically injured Veterans. As you know, counseling services and publicity campaigns cost money. Your money and time allows Hidden Wounds to connect Veterans to support groups, provide counseling services, and educate communities. Hidden Wounds is able to build awareness, lower the stigma, and grant the will to overcome emotional and psychological challenges to our military heroes.
Right now Veterans have to wait in line for much needed care. Dr. Gloria Neumann, the Dorn Veterans Affairs Chief Suicide Prevention Officer, supports Hidden Wounds. Hidden Wounds has a strong network in place in Columbia, SC and is developing a nationwide network.
The time to reverse the trend to lower the soaring young Veterans suicide rate is now. Neither I, nor Colson can measure what it costs to save a life. But when he is 18 years old, I want to know that I’ve done all that I can to help. I encourage you to join me.
Join the fight. You can donate and volunteer online at http://www.hiddenwounds.org/
ken@hiddenwounds.org / Call 803-360-3433
Ken Carey is the Public Relations Director for Hidden Wounds. Ken owns Agil Staff, a Columbia, SC based employment agency specializing in the placement of bilingual and other hard-to-find people for employers. Ken is a Volunteer Facilitator for www.crossroadscareer.org/eastminsterpcusa part of a network of volunteers helping unemployed, misemployed and underemployed people. Born at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., Ken grew up in South Carolina, Spain, New York, and Georgia. He served three years in the United States Marine Corps then received his Bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism from The University of South Carolina. Ken is married to Heidi Carey and is the father of Colson III and Sally.
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