Sheri Carter’s property, which sits in Missouri and spans 20 acres, is a sanctuary. It’s a beautiful sight, with hills, woods, a recovery room, and a fire pit. She shares the space with other female veterans and service members, inviting them over once a month to share their stories and get together with other females who “feel their pain.”
Pain. It’s something Sheri has become all too familiar with. After joining the Army at age 37 and serving eight years, she suffers from a back injury, muscle weakness, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia, just to name a few, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her.
“I don’t look disabled. I have invisible illnesses. I have invisible disabilities. I think it’s hard for people to understand that I do need accommodation,” Sheri said.
That’s only the physical part. Mentally, she is coping with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The physical and mental hurdles are challenging, but Sheri takes them in stride, using farming and gardening as an outlet.
“Something bad did happen overseas.” Sheri says. “For a period of time, I allowed that to darken those days.”
Sheri was deployed to Djibouti, working in public affairs, running missions, and writing about them. She even has a handful of published articles from her time spent in at least nine countries. Serving was a priority for Sheri, who wanted to make an impact and leave a legacy for her children. Even with all the hardships that came with that, she wouldn’t change a thing.
“I wouldn’t take back my choice to do those things and the experience that I’ve had, the impact it’s had on my life, both positive and negative, and again, who it’s made me. I wouldn’t take it back.” Sheri says.
Hunting is also important to Sheri, and it’s how she learned about HOPE’s Warrior’s Wish program. Someone from HOPE reached out to her and asked if she wanted to go to Florida with a few other women on a deer hunt, which was an “amazing time with great people who made the visit wonderful.” She was invited back for a turkey hunt, where she didn’t just get a turkey, she ended up with a life-changing wish.
Shortly after, she applied for HOPE’s Warrior’s Wish program and asked for a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV), so HOPE worked with Massimo Motor Sports to make her wish a reality. Massimo Motor Sports also personally delivered it to her home to ensure the UTV was the best fit for her property and terrain.
“This was so meant to be”
is how she felt after her first trip out with the UTV. She took her 8-year-old granddaughters with her, and there was a tree across their path. Instead of turning around, they used the vehicle to get it out of the way. “It was empowering,” Sheri said. With this wish, she’s more at ease.
What is a simple task for so many, like getting up a hill with groceries, is a challenge for Sheri. Bringing out dirt, rock, and plants for gardening is difficult. With the UTV, she can do those things. She feels safe, and that was apparent recently during a slight scare.
“One day, two coyotes were sitting at the top of my hill,” she says. Sheri has a handful of dogs that she fosters as well, so this was a little concerning to see these predators looking down on her and her fur babies. She says she would have never walked up there, but with the UTV, she could confidently drive. “They haven’t come back, and I feel like because of the motorized vehicle going up there, they’re like ‘oh, this isn’t a good place to hang out.’ It gives me confidence and security. It’s not just me walking around, it’s a vehicle [that’s] intimidating to wildlife. It’s safer.”
Sheri’s wish has provided safety, security, and comfort. She can garden, farm, and transport visitors around her property, thanks to HOPE.
Since 2006, Hope For The Warriors has provided almost $2.5 million in grants, assisting with 251 wishes.
For more information on Hope For The Warriors and Warrior’s Wish program, visit hopeforthewarriors.org, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
About Hope For The Warriors: Founded in 2006, Hope For The Warriors is a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring a sense of self, family and hope for post-9/11 veterans, service members and military families. Since its inception, Hope For The Warriors has served over 40,000 through a variety of support programs focused on health and wellness, sports and recreation and transition. One of the nonprofit’s first programs, Military Spouse and Caregiver Scholarships, has awarded 212 scholarships to caregivers and families of the fallen. For more information, visit hopeforthewarriors.org, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
###