VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Getting people help if they're struggling is a passion for Sara Wilkinson. After her husband Chad's death in 2018, she had no idea her words and his actions would inspire so many.
"The Step Up Foundation was started shortly after the death of my husband. He was a Navy SEAL for 21 years. He died by suicide in October of 2018," Sara stated.
For Sara, this foundation is more than just a place to connect to mental health services: "Stepping up for our veterans and what they've given and sacrificed for us so that we can enjoy our freedoms every day," she said.
"We hear a lot about PTSD. It's definitely a real thing and a real struggle for active duty and our veterans, but we also need to discuss TBI and brain injury. We researched Chad's brain and found that he had interfaced scarring, which is actually a physical wound to the brain experienced from blast wound injury," Sara spoke with emotion.
She went on to say that gunfire, RPGs, and things they're exposed to cause these wounds.
"The Step Up Foundation is here to advocate for them," she added.
The Step Foundation helps military members and veterans by raising funds and turning those funds around to programs that can intervene and connecting others to programs that can help.
Sara hopes to never again tell a story like her own. "My husband never shared his struggle," she said. "We were together 27 years, he was my best friend, and I couldn't help him. So, a lot of the passion comes from that love."
Sara said that she worries her husband made a permanent decision on what she, "could only hope" was a temporary feeling, "which left me and my kids for a lifetime of heartache."
"Looking at some of our men and women, based on my lived life experience, I can almost see it on their faces and in their bodies. Where they are and where they struggle," she said.
So, she uses The Step Up Foundation to try and connect others to the help they need.
"I can happily say I've seen multiple people take resources shared and turn their life around, and that's pretty incredible," she added.
Sara said that access to mental health services is crucial, especially for our veterans and active duty.
"If you were having an emergency right now, you would call 911. But a lot of people when they are really struggling mentally, don't know where to go and they don't even ask until they're in the 911 moment. Shouldn't we create a platform where those resources are available and accessible long before you get to that point?" she questioned.
Sara said that sometimes people forget just how much our military members go through. "I think I need to remind people that freedom does come at a price, and we've been going pretty hard for the last 20-some years."
As for those that are seeking help, she wants you to know that this is not a sign of weakness. This is a sign of being human.
She said that she even gets tired, "I do get pretty burned out, but I believe in this, and I do not want anyone to make this decision, and I don't want another spouse to join the chair next to me."
As for the spouses of our military, she wanted to talk to you, too.
"We are in a life of service, too, based on the person we chose, and it is our duty to safeguard their health. I would tell you not to be afraid to ask the hard questions, dig in when they start to show signs and symptoms and don't be afraid to ask them directly if they've thought about taking their life. People fear that asking that question will plant a seed, but experts will tell you that's absolutely not true."
She finished by telling people to just lean in.
"Getting people to step up physically, but also step up in their words and their actions and say, yeah, I do struggle, and things are hard sometimes, and sometimes I'm not okay," Sara said.
13News Now knew when we heard the story behind The Step Up Foundation, we wanted to not only feature their story but donate to the cause, so we donated $1,000 to the cause. However, our sponsors weren't done there. First Team Automotive stepped up and donated an extra $500 to their mission as well.
"For me, at the end of the day, it's not just about Chad Wilkinson. It's about so many more," Sara said.
We believe just that. If you would like to learn more about The Step Up Foundation and its services, you can head to its website for more information.
If you are experiencing an emergency, you can always call or text the crisis and suicide hotline at 988. If you are a veteran, you can press 1 when you call 988 to connect to someone specializing in military mental health services.