Lead the fight!

QWhy did you join the Navy?

I chose the Navy over other services because I had a few family members that I looked up to and they were very important in my life. They did pretty great things in the military and they were able to do great things outside of the service as well.

QHow was your experience on USS Michael Murphy?

Being on the USS Michael Murphy was a great opportunity because of the war hero that we were representing. It was awesome to be there because we got to take part in a lot of exercises. And we were representing a person in history. Like the motto, “Lead the fight!” we're always going and making sure we were the best of the best.

Q Q

Are you still assigned to USS Michael Murphy?

I'm not on the Michael Murphy anymore because on the return home from deployment, I was diagnosed with my Stage 3 breast cancer. I was basically put on limited duty so that I could take care of my treatment and get better.

Q Q

What did you do after hearing about your diagnosis?

When I found out about my diagnosis, I was pretty scared because I was still deployed and I didn't know what kind of services that I could ask about or find out about. And I didn't immediately go to medical because I just didn't know if I was able to be taken care of while we're out at sea. I spoke with my division officer and I told her what was going on and she actually helped me and went to medical with me. And we talked to the medical provider and we got things moving from there.

How has the Navy Wounded Warrior program helped you?

The Wounded Warrior program has helped me incredibly. I've been able to I feel emotionally stable because I am able to do things that I didn't think I would because of this diagnosis. Most people think when you just find out you have cancer is that you might live, you might die, you don't know. But being around other people makes you feel like you want to continue. You want to live. You want to do the things you didn't think you could do.

What is the best thing about the Navy Wounded Warrior program?

I think the best thing is just being able to be around other people. Whether they have the same medical diagnosis or not. You're all in this together. You all have some kind of ailment where you're not 100%, but you guys can relate to each other and help each other mentally and emotionally. You get to meet people, you get to know people, and stay in touch with people. You hear their story and you don't think mine isn't as bad as the other. Like you're all in the same boat. You feel a sense of normalcy with this program.

To learn more contact the Navy Wounded Warrior at (855) 628-9997 or email navywoundedwarrior.fct@navy.mil