SARASOTA – Despite being down on her luck, a single mom and Suncoast veteran feels her purpose is to remind other vets they’re never alone.
“I grew up wanting to be a nurse,” Stephanie Petersen said, but the universe had other plans for her.
From Okinawa, Japan, to Afghanistan she served two tours for a total of four years. She worked in logistics and as a driver. She left the service to go back to nursing school and says her road back to civilian life has been a bumpy one.
“It’s been very difficult to transition, and I’ve had three kids in the last five years, and that’s been the most challenging,” Petersen said.
Her bank account is nearly empty, but her heart is full because of the time she spends at the VFW. She assumed the role of Post Surgeon.
“I’m living fully in my passion because it’s like the veteran and the medical have combined,” Petersen said.
She’s technically homeless right now, staying with a friend. Attorney Carl Reynolds of Carl Reynolds Law heard Stephanie’s story, and thought she could use A Helping Hand.
“You could be caught up in what you’re experiencing and the kids and everything else, and instead, you’re really trying to lose yourself in serving others,” Reynolds said. “Sometimes when we lose ourselves in serving others, we kind of find ourselves, right?”
Petersen says as much as she helps the VFW, it helps her.
“If I’m not here right now, then I probably would not be doing great,” Petersen said.
What she fears most is the isolation her fellow vets will feel if we’re hit with another lockdown.
“There’s a war going on and we’re losing veterans to suicide and substance abuse,” Petersen said.
She went the alternative medicine route with her schooling and plans to start a nonprofit focused on veteran health.
“I went through all that darkness in the trenches, and I’m ready to go back into the trenches and pull them out,” Petersen said.
Petersen has not only started a veteran support group but is adding things like a coffee bar and movie nights to the VFW to boost morale. On top of it all, she’s one exam away from being a licensed acupuncturist.