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Speaker 1: We're talking to Andy Gasper and Kevin Parker, who work

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Speaker 1: with Warrior Foundation Freedom Stations, specifically in cancer support programs,

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Speaker 1: among other things. A gentleman, First of all, thanks for

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Speaker 1: spending some time. Good to talk to you. How are

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Speaker 1: you great? Thank you good appreciating opportunity. Thank you? Oh,

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Speaker 1: it's it's our pleasure. So what makes the cancer support

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Speaker 1: programs through Warrior Foundation Freedom Station different or more valuable

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Speaker 1: for service members than say, you know something that's perfectly

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Speaker 1: great at a local hospital. Well, I think, um, since

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Speaker 1: to thanks to that question. I think one of the

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Speaker 1: things that makes this unique is the hospital, Dobbo Enabled

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Speaker 1: Medical Center, San Diego. They do offer a caregiver program.

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Speaker 1: I think what makes this unique is kind of a

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Speaker 1: personal touch for its heavy on pero peer support. Uh.

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Speaker 1: And we also implement a caregiver perspective of that as well,

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Speaker 1: and we do it around lunch. Um. And so what's

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Speaker 1: a really low key environment really promotes sharing and hewing. Now,

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Speaker 1: you're both military veterans, and I know you can speak

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Speaker 1: to the warrior mindset and how that plays in with

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Speaker 1: dealing with a certain kind of person. What's the warrior mindset?

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Speaker 1: What's that all about well, the warrior mindset obviously, you

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Speaker 1: know you're you're kind of put in that that situation

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Speaker 1: as a as a warrior. But whenever difficulty comes along,

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Speaker 1: you know how to process it properly, you know, from

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Speaker 1: from the honor, courage, commitment, all those things. But as

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Speaker 1: a warrior and dealing with cancer and trying to help um,

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Speaker 1: trying to help out others that are dealing with the

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Speaker 1: similar issues, it's it's really focused in on on comfort

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Speaker 1: and how you can help each other during that difficult time.

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Speaker 1: And so you know, oftentimes as a as a marine,

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Speaker 1: you want to you want to stand strong and you

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Speaker 1: know and try to uh, you know, try to bear

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Speaker 1: the burdens on your own. But in all reality, the

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Speaker 1: warrior does need that support. And the Warrior Foundation was

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Speaker 1: huge for me and my family as as UM. I

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Speaker 1: was diagnosed with stage four melanoma back in two thousand

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Speaker 1: and sixteen, and uh, with having four kids, just found

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Speaker 1: out my wife was pregnant with our fifth line. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: just all of a sudden, you know, something like that happens.

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Speaker 1: You know, you begin to think, uh, like you know, what,

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Speaker 1: what's what's about to happen? And and so I met

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Speaker 1: Andy back in two thousands seventeen. And then at that point,

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Speaker 1: UM I Andy introduced me to several others that we're

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Speaker 1: dealing with cancer, different types. And you know when you

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Speaker 1: go and see the doctor and they tell you, you know,

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Speaker 1: for me and my example, I had six months left

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Speaker 1: to live and oh yes, and the doctors like you

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Speaker 1: got six months, and you know, you're thinking of all

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Speaker 1: these different things. You know. Of course, you know I've

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Speaker 1: been in the Marines for sixteen years at that point,

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Speaker 1: and so all those things kind of go kind of

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Speaker 1: halk and uh and yes, the worrior mindset is extremely important.

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Speaker 1: But and uh and it helps out, it helps to

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Speaker 1: persevere and connecting with Andy and and kind of getting

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Speaker 1: involved in the cancer group. Really the healing comes by

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Speaker 1: helping others heal. And I would say that the Warrior

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Speaker 1: Foundation with UM Sandy and Andy have done with the

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Speaker 1: connection there with the month a monthly luncheons to sit

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Speaker 1: around a large table almost like a family environment of

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Speaker 1: other warriors just sitting across from each other, and everybody's

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Speaker 1: dealing with different types of cancers and different stages and

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Speaker 1: and uh, now I can you know, I'm uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: just excited to you know, say I'm in remission and

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Speaker 1: be able to you know, get that hope in that

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Speaker 1: sense of you know, courage to others and know, hey,

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Speaker 1: we're here for you, especially the caregivers with my wife,

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Speaker 1: you know, dealing with our situation and the kids and

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Speaker 1: all those different things. Hey, you know you can whether

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Speaker 1: it's faith or you know, just just that warrior mindset, Hey,

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Speaker 1: you know, have comfort and and I would say that's

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Speaker 1: probably my um where I'm really appreciative Andy and Sandy

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Speaker 1: and the Warrior Undation what they've done for me and

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Speaker 1: my family and just that connection. Well. And you know,

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Speaker 1: the one thing we've learned in uh, talking with so

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Speaker 1: many good folks who have benefited from Warrior Foundation Freedom

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Speaker 1: Station through the years is that you I mean, you're

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Speaker 1: you're trained, then you live through the most intense moments

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Speaker 1: any human being can imagine. And it's all about team,

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Speaker 1: always team. And then all of a sudden, when military

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Speaker 1: service ends or folks are medically retired or whatever, all

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Speaker 1: of a sudden, you got no team or you don't

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Speaker 1: have the same sort of team and you're in the dopey,

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Speaker 1: apathetic civilian world dealing with a crisis and and I

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Speaker 1: don't think a lot of civilians understand how incredibly dislocating

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Speaker 1: that can be. Yes, and it's definitely a transition now

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Speaker 1: that I've since retired and UM and moved into the

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Speaker 1: civilian sector, it's it's definitely a change in mindset and

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Speaker 1: having UM organizations like the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station to

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Speaker 1: have a location to go to one of my buddies,

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Speaker 1: UH lived there for for quite some time, and a

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Speaker 1: huge you know, a huge value, huge add and and

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Speaker 1: a lot of service members, you know, they they think

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Speaker 1: they're on their own, but you know, whenever Sandy and

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Speaker 1: Andy come along next, and you know you're like, hey, wow,

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Speaker 1: there's people who really care as I transition and UH

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Speaker 1: to offer those additional services. Kevin, Andy is great to

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Speaker 1: talk to. You both. Keep up the good work and

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Speaker 1: we'll do what we can to help. Thank you the opportunity.

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Speaker 1: Appreciate it.