{"id":7933,"date":"2025-02-15T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7933"},"modified":"2025-02-15T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T19:30:00","slug":"whole-health-and-a-beard-were-the-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7933","title":{"rendered":"Whole Health and a beard were the answer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-02-15T19:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>For Air Force Veteran Justin Cheatham, life after military service was an uphill battle. He was a former E-3 firefighter stationed at Herbert Field in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Today, he credits <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/orlando-health-care\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Orlando VA<\/a>\u2018s Whole Health program, a renewed faith and an unexpected passion for competitive bearding with saving his life.<\/p>\n<p>Cheatham faced challenges that many Veterans know all too well, including post-traumatic stress, self-medication and a struggle to find purpose.<\/p>\n<p>From 2002 to 2005, Cheatham served as a firefighter responding to 911 calls, car accidents and drug overdoses. Deployed to Kuwait\u2019s Ali Al Salem Air Base, Cheatham encountered harrowing experiences that lingered long after his service ended.<\/p>\n<p>After separating from the Air Force, Cheatham\u2019s battles continued. He began self-medicating with alcohol, numbing the pain of his memories.<\/p>\n<p>Five years ago, Cheatham achieved sobriety, but it wasn\u2019t an easy or smooth road to getting there. A public mental breakdown two and a half years ago became a turning point. His mother intervened, providing the support he desperately needed. \u201cI asked her to help me figure it out,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n<p>Through Orlando VA, Cheatham connected with a mental health provider who became a lifeline to him. \u201cShe was the only person I could trust at that point. She stayed on the phone with me for hours and gave me a reason to keep pushing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cWhole Health helped save my life.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Cheatham\u2019s provider recommended <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/wholehealth\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VA\u2019s Whole Health program<\/a>, which soon became a cornerstone of his recovery. With guidance from coaches Gregory Jackson, Melissa Boban and Angela Suarez, he learned meditation techniques and found a supportive community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhole Health helped save my life. Angela at VA was a huge help in recentering me. They showed me it\u2019s okay not to be okay and helped me get back up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Angela Suarez, Whole Health coach, emphasized the importance of personalized care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJustin\u2019s journey is a testament to the power of connection, resilience and the resources we provide to help Veterans reclaim their lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Rush, Whole Health coordinator, highlighted the program\u2019s impact on Veterans like Cheatham. \u201cOur goal is to empower Veterans to take charge of their health and well-being. Whole Health is about more than just treatment, it\u2019s about finding purpose, community and new ways to thrive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cGave me a sense of purpose.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Cheatham stumbled upon competitive bearding through social media. What started as a curiosity soon became a life-changing passion: \u201cThat moment changed my life. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me a sense of purpose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Cheatham now competes in beard competitions and has won multiple awards, including Best in Show in Ocala. He\u2019s built a community through the sport, finding camaraderie and support among fellow competitors. \u201cThese people are about helping others and changing lives. It\u2019s a form of therapy and self-expression for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He now works out regularly, embraces his faith and advises Veterans to take the leap toward healing. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to get out of your comfort zone and look for a reason to keep going,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Cheatham also urges Veterans to trust VA. His story is a powerful reminder that healing can come from unexpected places\u2014whether it\u2019s a compassionate doctor, a supportive program or even a beard competition.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/138290\/whole-health-and-a-beard-were-the-answer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One Veteran credits Orlando VA Whole Health and an unexpected passion for competitive bearding with saving his life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care","category-whole-health-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Whole Health and a beard were the answer - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One Veteran credits Orlando VA Whole Health and an unexpected passion for competitive bearding with saving his life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7933\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Whole Health and a beard were the answer - 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