I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere, heartfelt appreciation and honest thanks for the tremendous time and energy Ms. Veronica Wiggins (Nurse Veronica) has spent during this last year providing care for my father.

My father is a disabled veteran and has struggled greatly over the last 5 years. The last 3.5 years, he started living with me off and on. He hadn't used the VA healthcare system much prior to then; he always relied on his Tricare for life insurance. In 2023, we made the decision that it was best for him to come to live with me full-time, and I got him switched completely over to VA healthcare. It was at that time that Nurse Veronica became fully involved in his life.

This was a very stressful time in my life. I was still serving active duty in the Army on Fort Stewart as a single mother, struggling with my own health issues and trying to navigate how to help my entire family. I was overwhelmed beyond belief. Veronica stepped in like a guardian angel.

My father initially had a social worker assigned out of Statesboro, but he dropped the ball, like so many others to follow, but no matter who failed us, Veronica always picked it up. She never said, "That's not my job". She would call and find out the answers, or call around until, before we knew it, we were getting a phone call from someone in that department.

Over that next year, Veronica became family. She would lift me up with words of encouragement, and she knew what Dad and I needed even when we didn't. She was able to find us the break or the support we needed when the system failed us again.

We applied for the caregiver support program two years in a row and were denied. I was defeated and emotionally broken. I don't think anything ever really prepares a daughter to care for her father to that extent. This went on for what felt like forever. Until I just couldn't do it anymore. Dad was getting worse.

So one day, before his last hospital visit, I called Veronica and asked her what to do. I explained to her that I had tried to call the social worker in Statesboro several times but could never reach her. So Veronica did what she does best: she went on a mission to problem-solve.

The next thing I knew, I was on a 3-way call with Veronica and a social worker from Augusta, GA, who helped answer questions and offer guidance. When challenges arose with local coordination, she stepped in to help move things forward, staying in communication with the hospital, VA, and care teams. Her support, professionalism, and willingness to assist outside her area made a meaningful difference during a critical time.

The social worker emailed me several points of contact as well as an application for the Georgia War Veterans Home. She made all the necessary calls and arranged everything. Within two months of being released from the hospital, Veronica, the social worker, and my father took a tour of the GWVH. They both made calls and ensured all the necessary documentation was submitted in order for him to be transferred there.

I have watched my father go from a point I didn't think he could come back from to a point where I think he is actually content and possibly even happy with others like-minded veterans living out his last days. My children and I, too, feel like we can breathe again in our home now that grandpa is safe and in a place where people can care for him.

I've wanted to write this letter for weeks, but this year alone has been such an emotional roller coaster that I struggled putting this into words. In such tumultuous times, I hope that we never take for granted such leaders as Veronica Wiggins and our social worker. They are the critical pieces of hope for this organization and this Country.

"A leader is not a searchlight, always shining bright, but a lighthouse, guiding others through treacherous waters." - John C. Maxwell