This Mother’s Day, we celebrate the moms and moms-at-heart in our lives.
We celebrate Kerry, a Marine Corps Veteran who served from 1998-2007.
“We are a Marine family,” she says. “My husband and son are both Marines.” But as proud as she is of her Marine family, Kerry says she served during a time when support for females was nonexistent.
“I was successful but experienced harassment, assault and MST,” she says. “Being a Marine was both some of the best and worst times of my life.”
Since leaving the service, she’s suffered from the extreme effects of PTSD. And unfortunately, like so many other Veterans, Kerry experienced little relief from traditional methods of healing.
“Life felt like just going through the motions,” Kerry says. And then she connected with K9s For Warriors — and her Service Dog, Bass.
Finding New Hope
“Bass is amazing,” Kerry says. “Cliché, but it felt meant to be as soon as we met. From the first few minutes, his eye contact was incredible.”
At first, Kerry was skeptical, and felt anxious that this wouldn’t work for her. “It didn’t take long for me to realize the changes,” she says.
The duo was quickly building a bond and learning to trust each other. And she knows this is just the beginning.
“Our bond will only get stronger. Bass and I are a team. He checks on me. I check on him. When I struggle, he’s right there, no hesitation,” she says.
Bass already picks up on Kerry’s anxiety cues and has woken her from nightmares. And the time these two will spend together will further this bond and deepen the support he provides.
“I hope to lose the numbness — which I think is already changing since our time here,” she says. “I hope to feel more confident, as a team, to tackle everyday situations that seemed impossible before.”
Kerry is thankful for the new hope she has and the fresh outlook on her future. She feels firsthand the love and support a Service Dog can provide, and that’s one more thing to celebrate this Mother’s Day!
