For 18 years, Corporal Miguel “Migs” Aviles, a United States Marine Corps Veteran, has struggled with a variety of undiagnosed medical problems, chronic pain, sleep deprivation due to strange dreams and nightmares, and addiction to prescribed opioid medications. Although his 2002 service-related injuries were not a result of combat, they proved to be just as debilitating. To complicate matters, Migs’ efforts to obtain the medical attention he needed were frustrated by an overwhelmed and bureaucratic VA medical system. He found himself in a downward spiral, experiencing depression, humiliation and feelings of isolation as his medical problems worsened, undiagnosed and untreated over time. Migs says he lost his spirit and will to dream about the future. He engaged in risky behaviors more and more frequently and considered suicide on numerous occasions.
Everything changed in 2018 when Migs found Quantum Leap Farm and discovered he was not alone in his struggles. At Quantum, he received invaluable peer-to-peer support. He learned how to better advocate for himself and gained ways to cope with and manage his pain and depression without medications. He sought and obtained medical attention from providers outside the VA health system. His frequent trips to the emergency room stopped, along with his suicidal ideations. Migs says his experiences with the people and horses at Quantum Leap Farm were no less than transformational. At Quantum, he learned how to be vulnerable, spiritual, and more understanding and sympathetic with himself and others.
Migs says he’s finally found peace.
Your gifts to The Patriot Fund have helped underwrite the Quantum Leap Farm programs that serve Migs and so many other deserving Veterans like him. We never charge Veterans for their participation in any of our programs at Quantum, thanks to your support. Migs indicates it’s the generosity of donors like you that enabled him to stop trying to find ways to kill himself, and start trying to find ways to live.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for supporting The Patriot Fund and its benefitting Veteran service organizations like Quantum Leap Farm.