So you wanna help...

Sometimes people want to help, but don't know how to...especially right after the injury. And quite honestly, you're going through such a big change in your life the you don't even know where to begin to ask for help. In my case it was a mixture of that, feeling like I could handle everything myself and had to be strong, and feeling to proud. In this time, I myself, felt so helpless that I didn't want to relinquish the little control I had. But I've never been very good at asking for help. That being said, we had a lot of support from our friends and family. Our families jumped right in and took initiative trying to do what they could. My husband's command dropped by in droves to offer help, check in and pray over him. People made food, dropped by with goodies and even made donations.

Now that we've been doing this for over a year, we intend to pay all of this goodness forward to others. With that hindsight vision I think a great way to help is by considering helping those organizations created to help. It's an indirect kind of helping. Part of paying it forward, on our part, is spreading awareness of these various organizations that we would have otherwise heard nothing about. These are some of the amazing groups that have helped us along the way...be it advocating, providing resources, offering financial help and even giving us something to look forward to. This is a list of legitimate companies and organizations to consider:

Wounded Warrior Project - This may come as a surprise because they have gotten a lot of bad press as of late. However, the chapter here in Hawaii that we've been working with has been nothing short of helpful. They have various specialists that have worked diligently in preparing us for our transition from active duty to retired. They have set up support groups for the injured as well as their families/caregivers. They have provided various opportunities to get out and feel a part of the community...to enjoy life again as they figure out exactly how to live this new life. And with the negativity they've seen recently, we as a wounded warrior family have been affected...the activities are less frequent and sub par compared to what was offered in the past. Although very thankful for what they continue to do for us, we believe they deserve a second chance. www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Semper Fi Fund - This is an organization primarily meant to help marines and sailors financially. They offer monies to aid in short term expenses. For example, when we were inpatient and essentially operating two homes (we left some of our children with family while we were in California), they provided us with a rental car to get around. And when we needed to fly to the mid-west for a family emergency, they helped with some of those expenses as well. They continue to check on us and ensure that they are offering the highest quality help as possible. That in and of itself is greatly appreciated!!! semperfifund.org

Fisher House - The Fisher family donated a nice chunk of money to build homes throughout the country to house the families of sick and injured veterans. The accommodations are gorgeous and the staff is very polite. It creates a sense of home when you are away and working on recovering. The Fisher House was a huge life saver as a hotel would be very expensive for the length of time we were away and for the area we were in. The home was on the hospital grounds allowing me to go to and from my husband's hospital room whenever I needed and they were extremely accommodating to my family. We made some great friends while there as you all bond over the hard times being faced. fisherhouse.org

Fisher House Hero Miles - The Fisher House also partnered with various large airlines to provide flights for significantly injured and sick veterans to fly to and from medical facilities as well as fly family members to visit the veteran. Families, especially military families, are constantly separated from each other. To have the option to allow them to visit during such a difficult time of recovery is so amazing. We have yet to use this option, but do indeed look forward to having some family visit sometime soon. www.fisherhouse.org/programs/hero-miles/

Accessurf (Local to Hawaii) - This is an awesome group of ocean-loving volunteers who provide the opportunity for various injured and ill people from all walks of life to get back into the water when they otherwise would either not be able to or be afraid to. They offer surfing, kayaking, paddle boarding and other ocean activities for the disabled. The ocean, in our case, was a force to reckon with, BUT we also know that the ocean has great healing powers. We have been able to get my husband back in the water a year after his accident in the water and you know...he had a smile from ear to ear. Our family was also able to participate and it was just a very lovely time. Thank you, to this group!!! accessurf.org

Thank you to all of these organizations for being such a positive addition to our care team. You all probably made the past year a ton more bearable in some way or another. I hope that you will continue to do the good that you do!!!