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“Denise” is a pseudonym used to protect the privacy of the Veteran featured in this story.
When Denise, a highly decorated United States Coast Guard Veteran, entered treatment in early 2024, she believed she had lost everything that mattered most, her health, her home, and her relationship with her children.
Living with the lasting effects of severe service-related trauma and a 100% service-connected disability, Denise had spent years trying to survive the invisible wounds of military service. Like many Veterans, she turned to substances to numb the pain. The cost was devastating financial collapse, housing instability, and years of estrangement from her children.
“I didn’t think my life could look any different than it did then,” Denise later shared. “I couldn’t imagine a future.”
A Turning Point
In March 2024, while enrolled in a partial hospitalization program following a VA inpatient stay, Denise was referred to Veterans Count, a program of Easterseals New Hampshire. At the time, she was facing recovery with little support and no clear path forward.
Over the next year, Denise worked side-by-side with her Veterans Count Care Coordinator to rebuild every part of her life, one step at a time.
Step by Step, Stability Returned
With steady guidance and advocacy from her Care Coordinator, Denise secured permanent housing, re-entered the workforce, and began full-time employment at a human services organization. There, her leadership and resilience quickly stood out, leading to multiple promotions in less than a year.
Just as critical was her commitment to healing. Denise established consistent medical and mental health care, built healthy routines, and remained engaged in long-term recovery—laying a foundation she had never believed possible.
The Most Meaningful Change
But the most profound transformation came at home.
After years of separation, Denise began rebuilding relationships with her children. On her 50th birthday, she celebrated a moment she once thought she would never see—all of her children gathered by her side.
“I could never have imagined that when we first met,” she told her Veterans Count Care Coordinator.
Eighteen months after first connecting with Veterans Count, Denise remains in recovery, permanently housed, steadily employed, and actively working with a financial counselor to build long-term stability.
Her story is one of resilience, but also of what becomes possible when Veterans receive the right support at the right time.
Need Support? Veterans Count Is Here.
If you are a New Hampshire service member, Veteran, or family member in need of assistance or referrals, Veterans Count Program Coordinators are here to help.
Contact: 603.315.4354
Visit: vetscount.org