Deeds Not Words: Christian & Monique’s Story

The last few years have proven to be challenging for anyone who was in the path of Hurricane Helene, but especially for this veteran family, who already face several struggles of their own.  

Post-9/11 Army veteran, Christian, and his wife, Monique, live in Citrus Springs, Florida, with their daughter. Christian served in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division from 2017 to 2022. During a deployment in Syria, he suffered a combat-related injury. He has a 100 percent Total Disability Individual Unemployability rating for his severe medical conditions. Due to these injuries, Christian could not continue working after leaving the military, and his condition has worsened over the years to the point where his wife has had to become his full-time caregiver.  

Their 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a kidney disease called Hydronephrosis. With their current treatment plan, they are hoping to be able to fix the disease without surgery or transplant, but Monique must also be her full-time caregiver. 

The family decided to move back to Florida just before Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene hit in the Fall of 2024. They were living in an RV while waiting to move into the home they had purchased when Hurricane Helene destroyed their RV and everything in it. On top of that, they were in a car collision shortly after Helene and still don’t have a car for transportation. Their mortgage company granted them disaster forbearance but then requested full repayment in a lump sum, which has put them behind on their mortgage.

Upon hearing the many challenges this family faced, America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) went right to work. AWP worked within the AWP Network to refer them to several programs: they received food assistance through their county veterans service organization and found partial assistance from a national partner. However, AWP could not assist with the full range of the family’s needs if not for assistance from PureTalk and their Deeds Not Words program. 

Thanks to the work of AWP, PureTalk, and other partners, Christian and his family are now able to maintain their current housing situation, providing them with much-needed stability during a very turbulent time. They once again have hope as they wait to hear back from other VA programs they’ve applied to for further assistance.

Deeds Not Words is a collaborative initiative between PureTalk and America’s Warrior Partnership, dedicated to providing tangible support to veterans in need. Through PureTalk’s continued commitment, veterans like Christian and his family can access help through the AWP Network when they need it most. 

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