On this very special episode of Beyond the O.R., Kevin and Shannon Stacy pull back the curtain on the personal struggles that members of the Special Operations warfare community and their families face, often in isolation. Dr. Kevin Brenner invites the couple to share the important work being done by The Station Foundation, the nonprofit support organization they founded to serve returning veterans through creative, healing, hands-on programs. Shannon, whose debilitating BII (Breast Implant Illness) Dr. B treated with amazing results (through his work with Valor for Life), gives us a very vulnerable look at the impacts on children whose fathers are constantly on missions and the ways in which we can offer support to the stoic women holding the home front together while their husbands are away. You will learn about the remarkable world of Special Operations and the community of people helping returning warriors to navigate the rough terrain. Reintegrating into civilian life has challenged generations of veterans, many of whom struggle in the shadows with minimal support from the VA system or a patchwork of Band-Aid remedies. The Montana-based Station Foundation offers a completely different model for this transition, including a 10-day family bonding experience as a starting point to reset and rebuild. It’s a unique peer-based network that brings understanding, compassion and a solutions-based approach. The central goal: Bringing military families back into balance, reconnecting them with their wider communities and everyday life. “We do a really good job of going to war. Our country’s great at it,” says Kevin, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and helicopter pilot who served with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. “But we do a really bad job of coming home.” Through the work they are doing at The Station Foundation, the Stacys are part of a powerful web of nonprofits working tirelessly to turn that tide and foster conversations like this one with Dr. B and Co-host Elizabeth Morales – raising national awareness that is long overdue!

If you’d like to support the transformational work Shannon and Kevin Stacy are doing with The Station Foundation, simply click here to donate! Or send an email to this addressto find out about ways that you can contribute as a volunteer!