Judy’s Story

Judy’s health problems started during Operation Desert Storm, when she was deployed to the front with a US Marine Corps supply platoon. She couldn’t cope with the stress of being in an active combat zone, and her symptoms got worse after she returned to civilian life. She was finally diagnosed with Post Traumatic War Syndrome caused by psychological stress, and started treatment. But she’d struggled with her condition by herself for a long time. She returned to Pittsburgh sick, homeless, jobless, and hoping to rebuild her life.

A United Way-supported agency that serves Veterans helped Judy find housing and a job, and United Way’s Veterans Transportation Assistance Campaign gave her a bus pass. “That bus pass got me out of a financial bind,” she says. “I didn’t have my own transportation or money for bus fare. Having that bus pass meant I didn’t have to choose between getting to work and buying groceries until I got back on my feet again. Without it, I might not have lasted at that job.”

Now Judy has a position with a great company in the hospitality industry and is saving for her first house. “It’s taken some years to find my way. I thank God for bringing the people I need into my life. I couldn’t have gotten through this on my own.