I served as an infantry officer in Vietnam, working with the South Vietnamese. I am also a retired Colonel after switching to the Air Force reserves following active duty in the Army.

My brother, R, was also an army veteran, and he passed away. The VA provided excellent healthcare for my brother, who suffered from depression and obesity and ultimately from congestive heart disease. His primary caregiver was a member of your staff, Jill Frank.

Jill proved to be a highly effective support person for my brother. Under her care and supervision, he lost well over 100 pounds in less than six months. He reported his daily vitals, including weight and blood pressure to Jill, and they had a long series of incredibly positive conversations through distance communication. Our family became quite optimistic that he might have turned a significant corner with the lifestyle changes and the progress that he had made. Unfortunately, the congestive heart disease was too advanced, and he passed away without warning.

It was Jill who called me when he failed to submit his daily metrics. She recognized that something bad had happened, and she was correct as we found him in his home, having died.

Jill also provided feedback to our family on the great progress that R had made during their time working together. This brought a sense of peace regarding his attempt at making changes in his life that might have led to years of better health.

It's impossible to communicate accurately how important she was in his life and in helping us understand the last months in R's life. You have an incredibly effective staff member, and it's my pleasure to provide this feedback on how important she was for R and his family.