Help Veterans and Military Service Members Get the Help They Deserve

I met Jake just a little over a year ago now. I was just getting into running, and Jake had a lot of advice to give. At the time we started becoming real friends, our lives were changing exponentially. Eventually we decided to meet in person, but we decided to meet in Seattle. A neutral place for both of us, and an adventure. Since we met, there was not a day that went by that we didn’t talk for hours. Jake was going through a lot and so was I, but about a month after our initial meeting, he started spending most of his time in Chicago. In May, he proposed to me after we visited the house we would end up buying together in July.

Jake was going through a lot when we met, and so was I. We have supported one another through some of the worst days of our lives in the short time we have known each other. I never imagined I would meet someone who would complete me in the way that Jake does. I don’t know very many things that are certain, but I am certain about Jake. I feel so incredibly blessed to have Jake in my life.

We are both people who have been through a lot of things in our lives, but Jake's journey as a Veteran has faced different barriers than my own. While I was able to help Jake get care with the VA (he is a Navy vet), getting care is not as easy as it should be, and it is not a linear process. We are working day by day to try to improve our lives. We hope that it won’t just be for us, but that perhaps we have a bigger mission in life that we have the uncanny experiences that will allow us to share our journey in hopes that we can help improve mental health care and care for Veterans.