Warriors Heart had the pleasure of being featured on NBC’s talk show Today, as part of their special GRIT series. The video segment featured Warriors Heart success story Teddy Lanier, a 22-year veteran of the Army and a Green Beret. Teddy served five deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and later retired from the Army. After returning to civilian life, Lanier struggled with PTSD and depression, which lead him down a dangerous path of self-medication and substance abuse.
After hitting rock bottom, Teddy reached out to Warriors Heart to help get his life back on track. Teddy remarked that picking up the phone was one of the hardest things he ever had to do, but Warriors Heart was like the “voice of an angel”. They immediately made him feel like part of the tribe, telling him “Welcome home,” as they do with all of their clients. With the help of Warriors Heart, Clinical Director Vonnie Nealon and a lot of hard work, Teddy was able to battle through his issues and forge a healthy lifestyle.
Why does Warriors Heart specialize and excel in treating veterans, police and other first responders? Vonnie discussed this in the interview by talking about how each patient has special needs that can’t be easily met in regular therapy sessions and facilities. Warriors Heart creates an atmosphere of family and belonging because it’s operated and staffed by other veterans, police and first responders. “Patients are welcomed into a world that they recognize, that they know, with people that have been in their shoes,” she said.
Through an act of great generosity, Teddy’s treatment was paid for through a private donor. “Had it not been for him, we wouldn’t be sitting here today”, said Lanier. Now he wants to pay it forward and pass it on to the next person in any way that he can. The team at Warriors Heart is dedicated to replicating Teddy’s success with other veterans and first responders, and make his new mission a reality. “We want to bring a million warriors home”, said Nealon. It all starts with one phone call to Warriors Heart.
If you are interested in learning more about Warriors Heart or donating to our foundation, please visit the Warriors Heart Foundation page.
