Taking care of our veterans’ physical and spiritual needs is a priority for Dr. Lesley Parrish, DPT, assistant professor with Faulkner University’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy program.
Last year, Parrish said yes to an invitation she received to fly over 2,000 miles to take part in Aerial Recovery’s Heal The Heroes recovery mission for United States veterans.
Heal The Heroes is a nonprofit organization helping veterans who are battling trauma and addiction. The purpose of the Heal the Heroes initiative is to provide military veterans and first responders with the opportunity to gain the healing they’ve been searching for during and after their transition from military and service careers to civilian life.
Each year, 104 veterans, or four platoons, complete the year-long Heal The Heroes Program. Participants then graduate into the Heal the Heroes Veterans Community which integrates past, present and future platoons into a lifelong community providing lasting support, opportunity and motivation.
Parrish was invited on the recommendation of a well-known colleague to travel to the exclusive health retreat at Buck Island, British Virgin Islands. The honor to attend was a “testament to her knowledge, expertise and Christian heart,” said Dr. Heather Mount, PT, DSc, Director of Faulkner’s Physical Therapy program.
“As the physical therapist, I helped veterans on the rehabilitative side of things and gave one-on-one assistance,” Parrish said. “I come from a family of veterans. My dad is a 74-year old Vietnam vet, my maternal granddad was a veteran with PTSD and my paternal grandad served in the Army and so I’ve had personal experience with helping veterans work through trauma and chronic pain.”
The Heal The Heroes is an immersive healing experience from the food to the morning strengthening classes and mental exercises. It works to eliminate distractions and toxicity by not offering alcohol, or TV during the entire stay. Chemical food additives are nonexistent as food is locally grown and prepared.
“It’s a way of showing them what life could be like without distractions,” Parrish said. “The husband and wife team who founded the organization take veterans with PTSD, who have dealt with addiction and chronic pain, and they’ve developed programs for them. The retreat invites financial experts, physical therapists and other professionals to help these first responders transition back to civilian life and find purpose again.”
When she arrived on the island, Parrish’s primary function was to provide veterans with a musculoskeletal screening assessment and from that, create a treatment plan for them during their stay.
“The assessment showed me their movement limitations and pain cycle. I was there for three to four days, triaged 12-15 people, and it was 100 percent pro bono to veterans,” Parrish said. “They had access to psychological equine therapy as well and I was blessed to be a part of their recovery process.”
There was one veteran, nominated by his son to attend the retreat, who Parrish treated for a wounded knee and hip.
“We discussed the history of the injury and conducted musculoskeletal screening to see where the weakness was,” Parrish said. “We found an imbalance, so we came up with a plan to combat that imbalance without medication through strengthening exercises, and stretches to reduce chronic irritation.”
The veteran was given instructions to do hip-strengthening exercises 2-3 times a day on his own. Parrish provided her contact information so they could communicate after the retreat for any follow-ups.
She did similar evaluations for all the veterans. While Parrish focused primarily on their ailments, she also took part in their emotional healing.
At the retreat, veterans were given time to write down the negative thoughts they think about themselves. They were then asked if they would say those same things to an innocent animal. When they said no, they were asked why then they would say those things about themselves? Their therapy then included riding horses and saying only positive things to their steeds. Other exercises included practicing forgiveness and resolving suicidal ideations.
“These individuals are so highly trained by the military, that since leaving the service, some of their training is not being used in their civilian life,” Parrish explained. “So, the retreat not only works to heal them, it helps them find a new purpose, which they can develop if they choose at Heal the Hero’s parent organization Ariel Recovery.”
Aerial Recovery, founded by the same couple, trains and deploys humanitarian special operators to effectively respond to natural disasters, man-made disasters, and combat sex trafficking. Made up of veterans and first responders, Aerial tackles some of the most difficult rescue and response missions across the globe.
Both programs are led by retired US Special Forces Jeremy Locke. Veterans who want to continue on after the Heal The Heroes retreat will go through a 12-week program called G-Force, a life mentorship program followed by a 9-month integration period. Lastly, they are invited to join the G-FORCE Veterans Community to help opportunities globally serving in disaster zones, anti-trafficking initiatives and speaking opportunities.
“Being a part of the retreat was a life-changing event for me. To watch the guys, who were nominated by people who love them, and to witness their struggles and talk about their faith, was a moving experience,” Parrish said. “I was able to speak freely about my faith and we saw a lot of people come to Christ. It was very open. I kept telling them, ‘Talking with you is a God moment for me’ and I shared with them that even though they viewed themselves as damaged and not worth anything, Christ cares for them. It was a blessing to be a part of their faith journey and very humbling.”
“We all felt renewed when we left,” she added.
To learn more, visit https://aerialrecovery.org/heroes/