Veteran wrote: I would like to thank Nurse Veronica Garcia. Exactly a year today, I came into the VA in chaos. My mental health was on a fast decline. I wanted to take my life. Simple as that. I wanted to end my life because I felt worthless. I felt like I was no good to my family, like the person I was died and instead stands this poor excuse for a human. I suffer from seizures that usually take time away from work. I couldn’t pay bills and couldn’t pay for groceries. I was lost.

When I finally felt like I needed help, I came to my appointment. Mrs. Garcia received me. Without judgement, she listened to everything I had to say and never interrupted. She just heard me out. In her kindness, she did offer advice and coping skills. It's all about how we cope with how we feel. How I am going to handle something I can’t control. I realized later after the appointment that it was all on me. I couldn’t stop these thoughts or feelings. They were real and that what I could do was figure out a way I could help myself. I changed everything. My diet, my hobbies, my attitude. Not right way but I did. I realized that I had a purpose and obligation to my family. If they couldn’t look to me to weather the storm, how could they do it themselves?

I have reached out to a therapist who’s made a change in my life for the better. I’m a better husband and more importantly a better father. I want to live this unperfect life because that’s what it’s about, living beautifully in the world of chaos. I would like to say thank you for listening to a broken soul. She’s an angel doing God’s work. I see her treat everyone with the same dignity she did me. Asking for help is by far the hardest thing I had to do, but she made it easier. She made it normal. She made me feel normal. With all my heart, my family and I thank you.