Repertoire Magazine – June 2021
Jessica Kavanagh fought her husband’s PTSD, and now she fights on behalf of other veterans and their caregivers
Prior to meeting her husband, Brian, in 2009, Jessica Kavanagh had never known anyone in the military. “It was like learning a whole new language and way of life,” says Kavanagh, an account representative for Medline serving post-acute facilities in Baltimore and surrounding areas. “And that was fine. I loved him and was so proud to be a part of something so big and so selfless.”
They got married in June 2011. Six month later, Brian was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. For the next four and a half years, the couple pursued treatment for Brian, their two young girls, and Jessica, the primary caregiver. But in June 2016, they lost the battle. “While his life did not end with suicide,” she says, “it was directly related to his PTS and substance abuse disorder.”
Ever since, surrounded by friends of Brian, and by her own friends and family, Jessica has continued to fight for veterans like Brian and their families. She is the founder and president of VetLinks.org, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans and their families find the help they need to deal with the lingering trauma of war.
“If we as a country are going to send our men and women to war, we have got to do a better job taking care of them when they come home,” she told lawmakers in June 2019 while testifying before the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in Washington.
Jessica was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Her father, Robert Curry, coached football for 37 years at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania (which Jessica attended). Her mother, Susan, taught fifth-graders English and Reading for 34 years.
Right after graduating from Lycoming College in 2001, she got a job with Total Scope Inc., in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania, which specializes in the repair of endoscopy scopes. “I worked there for 3 ½ years until I got a call from a recruiter about a post-acute position with Medline. Ten-plus interviews later, I was offered the position, and I accepted. It was a great move, and I have loved working for this company in so many ways.”
Brian was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps as a Second Lieutenant in the infantry branch of the Army in 2002. He completed the Ranger School, and as a platoon leader, led in garrison and combat, receiving two Bronze Stars during his first deployment in Iraq. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and then Captain, at which point he transitioned to the Military Intelligence Branch. He served as an Intelligence Advisor to the Afghanistan Army and received another Bronze Star for service in combat.
He finished his active-duty career as the Company Commander for Alpha Company, 308th Military Intelligence Battalion, 902nd Military Intelligence Group, where he earned the Meritorious Service Medal for his service to both Alpha Company and the Aberdeen Proving Ground Military Intelligence Detachment. He transitioned to the U.S. Army Reserve and was promoted to the rank of Major. He was activated to serve as the Chief of Joint Operations for the Joint Reserve Intelligence Support Element to the United Stated Africa Command J2 – Intelligence Directorate.
PTSD diagnosis
“After Brian’s initial diagnosis and treatment for PTS, his symptoms steadily worsened,” says Jessica. After he transitioned into federal government service, the Kavanaghs sought treatment with a psychiatrist within the Maryland VA system. “We were assigned a social worker at a local Vet Center, where Brian had regular sessions along with couples’ therapy. Despite what we thought were our best efforts to manage his symptoms, they continued to worsen.”
In May 2014, Brian acknowledged that he needed something more intensive. “We asked our VA counselor for recommendations, but they were unaware of where to direct us for inpatient help. I called the Veterans’ crisis hotline, but they said that if he was not suicidal, they were unable to assist. I searched for an inpatient unit for veterans with PTS and substance abuse, but none seemed to exist.”
Ultimately, Brian received treatment at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. “It did not seem to be the right fit for him, but we were desperate.” For two weeks, he stayed at this location with 14 women who suffered PTS from sexual assault. Upon discharge, he began therapy with a private practitioner, at the family’s expense. By July 2015, Brian had become severely depressed, lying in bed for days if not weeks.
In mid-September, Jessica got a call from a woman in Houston who had heard about the Kavanaghs’ struggles, and who told her of an upcoming congressional hearing, which former VA Secretary Bob McDonald was scheduled to attend. In October 2015, Jessica traveled to Washington, met McDonald and told him her story. Three days later, the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, called with news that Brian could enter a 90-day program there. “Brian seemed to be doing well there, and seemed to enjoy being around other veterans,” says Jessica.
At Martinsburg, Brian realized that many of his fellow veterans were not receiving many of the benefits they had earned. “He started holding classes there, showing them with his laptop how to get set up for benefits, until he was told that he was not able to do this, being a patient himself. He continued to do so anyhow.” Three weeks before his scheduled discharge, Brian came home for Thanksgiving, but he had a relapse.
“He did not do well at home with me and our two girls, who were three and one at the time,” says Jessica. “I was left with severe angst about his discharge in three weeks. When I spoke with the social worker, she said there really wasn’t anything more they could do. His program lead assured me that we would have a thorough discharge plan to help continue his progress” after the program ended.
Brian was discharged Dec. 21, 2015. In January he began seeing a social worker at the local Vet Center, but was limited to only one visit every three to four weeks. Through her private therapist, Jessica found Brian a trauma therapist who was a Vietnam vet and who had previously worked at the VA. “We were paying for two sessions a week for Brian and one session a week for myself – and couples therapy when we could afford it. I applied for support from the VA Caregiver Support Program but was turned down.
“Being able to ‘prove’ PTS proved difficult,” she says. “I felt like I was fighting a war on the inside of our household and a war on the outside against the VA, all while working a full-time job and caring for our two young daughters.” On June 28, 2016, Brian lost his battle to PTS.
“I received the phone call from the Baltimore police while driving down I-95. My entire soul was shattered in an instant. Never once did I feel that it would have ended like this. We were always just going to continue our fight.
“During my eulogy, I vowed to continue the fight, even if it simply meant saving just one family from the hell that we had experienced. The day after his funeral, I sat around with his best friends [from his hometown, Pittsburg, Kansas] and told them of Brian’s desire to start a nonprofit to help veterans with PTS. Then and there in my living room, VetLinks.org was created.
VetLinks.org
“I threw my grief into VetLinks.org, and we officially became a 501(c) 3 on December 20, 2016. A Christmas present from Brian.”
“I’m not sure I can speak for any veterans,” she says today. “They go to war. They see their friends and comrades killed in front of them. There’s a lot of guilt for remaining alive. There’s a lot of guilt for having to kill another human. They suffer with nightmares and have moral injury. Their brains are rewired, learning how to survive each day in fight-or-flight mode. At any given moment they could set off an IED or get ambushed while on patrol. They’re on high alert every single moment. And leading a platoon (as Brian was), having to make tough decisions where lives are on the line, is extremely stressful.”
With eight board members, two mentors and Jessica herself, VetLinks provides a variety of services to veterans with PTS, traumatic brain injury and/or substance abuse, including:
- Assistance in finding behavioral healthcare services.
- Connections to nationally recognized advocacy groups.
- Guidance during the process of submitting paperwork to the VA.
- Financial support for counseling, therapy, basic needs and more while awaiting VA assistance.
“We’ve actually found – and this may even be more our niche at this point – that we help the caregiver/family of that veteran more than the veteran,” she says. “Thankfully, there are thousands of nonprofits to help our veterans who truly need help. Unfortunately, their caregivers have fewer resources.”
VetLinks works with peer navigators, who work with the veteran and the caregiver every step of the way, says Jessica. “Most times, when a veteran or a caregiver reaches out for a particular reason, they actually need more assistance than what they called about. For example, if a veteran is looking for help with housing due to being homeless, they most likely need mental healthcare services as well. Or if a veteran is struggling with depression or substance abuse, the caregiver and the family most likely also need counseling. It’s a family affair – for the good, the bad, and unfortunately, the ugly.”
Oftentimes, when a veteran returns home from active duty, people assume he or she should be happy to be alive and ready for life to return to normal, she says. “It doesn’t work that way. They come home and go back to their assignments without a plan. And there’s a stigma that goes along with asking for help.”
The VA and the armed services offer programs for veterans who are depressed or suicidal, but more targeted outreach is needed for those most at risk for suicide, she says. Combat veterans, as well as medics and others who were exposed to trauma in the field, should be given a post-discharge mental-health plan of action, she says. Caregivers should be an important part of that plan.
“Veterans are more likely to recover and thrive when their caregivers are embraced, engaged, and empowered in the healthcare system. Listen to the caregiver and families, support them, and you will see the veteran thrive.”
Photo credit for image Kavanagh-0106.jpg – Photo credit: Emily Kane photography