69制片厂制作传媒播

听

Betty Towler met her husband, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Nigel Towler, over 20 years ago while stationed in Korea. When they returned stateside, Towler made a professional sacrifice for her family.

听

听

69制片厂制作传媒淚 had to leave the military because my husband was deploying. We already had two kids.69制片厂制作传媒�

听

听

When her husband returned from Iraq in 2005, Towler started noticing changes.

听

听

69制片厂制作传媒淗e was with us all the time when he came back. He wanted to hang out with his family, but he was drinking and that wasn69制片厂制作传媒檛 normal.69制片厂制作传媒�

听

听

Towler had her hands full, raising two children with another on the way and impending permanent change of station orders to Germany. A month later, her husband deployed a second time to Iraq.听

听

听

69制片厂制作传媒淲e all felt it when he came back the second time. He would be there, but he was not there. The TV would be on, but he wasn69制片厂制作传媒檛 watching it. His mind was somewhere else,69制片厂制作传媒� Towler recalls. 69制片厂制作传媒淲e could be sitting on the couch and he69制片厂制作传媒檚 on one end and I69制片厂制作传媒檓 on the other and it69制片厂制作传媒檚 like an awkward but a very scary silence. It was like a void. And I felt I could fall into this darkness, and nobody was going to come for me, and nobody was going to help me.69制片厂制作传媒�

听

听

Towler said she tried seeking help but found little support as a dependent overseas. They turned to religion, but that didn69制片厂制作传媒檛 bring her family the solace they were seeking either. When they returned stateside in 2011, little had changed.

听

听

69制片厂制作传媒淓verything was just so overwhelming,69制片厂制作传媒� Towler said. 69制片厂制作传媒淎ll the things people were telling us to do, all the appointments. It was all too much. Even visiting with family: he hears everybody being loud, laughing and his brain was like, 69制片厂制作传媒業 can69制片厂制作传媒檛 do this. There are too many conversations going on at the same time. I love them but I can69制片厂制作传媒檛 be around them. It69制片厂制作传媒檚 too chaotic,69制片厂制作传媒� he said. He69制片厂制作传媒檇 be down for 2 to 3 days trying to recover from just hanging out with other adults.69制片厂制作传媒�

听

听

Then in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, but their family was largely unaffected. In fact, Towler sees it as a blessing. It gave them time to focus on their health.

听

听

69制片厂制作传媒淚 signed up for a lot of webinars and a lot of online courses,69制片厂制作传媒� she shared.听

听

听

One of these resources was the American Red Cross Military and Veteran Caregiver Network (MVCN), a secure, online community that acts as both a resource directory and peer support network to over 12,000 military-affiliated caregivers. Using evidence-based peer-support programs, caregivers connect, share knowledge, learn new skills, and gain hope. Towler found support and solace from others just like her. Empowered by her newfound communities, she exercised her voice.听

听

听

69制片厂制作传媒淲e had to set boundaries. I was like, no, we need to tell them that we can only do two or three appointments in one week. It was too much. I had to learn to speak up, speak up for him and speak up for us.69制片厂制作传媒�

听

听

Now a Red Cross volunteer, Towler has been involved with the MVCN for the past five years, giving support to other military-affiliated caregivers going through the same challenges she did.听

听

听

69制片厂制作传媒淲e have about four calls a month. We69制片厂制作传媒檒l have some Zooms and some Slack chats just to really check in with the caregivers. I love how the older caregivers will share their experiences, like, here69制片厂制作传媒檚 what we had to do, here69制片厂制作传媒檚 the changes that happened in my house. Being part of this reminded me that I spent so much time caring for this one person, I forgot to make friends.69制片厂制作传媒�

听

听

Towler cares for her husband following his two deployments to Iraq, and the Military and Veteran Caregiver Network helps her do that by also helping her care for herself.听

听

听

Learn More

听

听

For further information or to join the MVCN community, visit .

听

Word Count: 654

听

听

听

听