As a combat medic with the Army infantry in Afghanistan, he shouldered men twice his size, their gear heavy with ammunition and dust, pulling them out of danger without hesitation. The weight never scared him; it defined him. Strong, steady, capable.

But war leaves its own weight behind. Fourteen years later, Justin bent to lift something as light as a pair of shorts, and his back gave out. Five-gallon water jugs, once nothing to a soldier like him, now feel impossible. A man who once carried others could not carry himself.



That is the kind of invisible burden Justin has lived with since Afghanistan. Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), a spinal cord injury, and toxicity syndrome. Words that do not capture the heaviness of daily life when even opening a jar, folding laundry, or remembering to finish a task feels insurmountable. 

The weight presses down in every direction, on his body, his relationships, and his spirit.



For 14 years, Justin searched for relief. He traveled to Peru, Guatemala, and Mexico for healing and access to care. He slept in his van, homeless, because treatments cost more than he could afford. He fought through endless appointments with fifteen different doctors and three neurologists at once. And still, the pain followed him, heavier each year.

Then he found Dr. Carol Henricks, a neurologist in Tucson who incorporates Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) into her practice at NorthStar Hyperbaric. For the first time in more than a decade, Justin felt weightless.



“I walked into her office on a cane,” he remembered. “Two weeks later, I dropped it. Hyperbaric makes me feel like Superman. The pain, the inflammation, the fog, it lifts.”



That feeling was not just physical; it was emotional. For years, Justin carried the grief of losing friends, like Nick, a fellow veteran who also suffered from burn pit exposure and TBI. Nick had finally started to feel better with HBOT, only to have his treatment cut short. He did not survive. 

“Nick’s name is on this chamber just as much as mine,” Justin said. “I am pushing forward for him, and for every veteran who didn’t get this chance.”



The weight of loss is one no one should have to carry alone. And thanks to Chive Charities, Justin doesn’t have to.



This year, something extraordinary happened. A longtime Chiver named Lawrence, himself a veteran who knows the weight of adversity, was asked to choose the next Chive Charities grant recipient. He chose Justin. Because who better to understand the heaviness of invisible wounds than someone who has carried his own?

With Lawrence’s choice and the generosity of Chive Charities donors, Justin received his own personal HBOT chamber for home use, totaling $6,220. For the first time, Justin can access the therapy that makes him feel strong again every single day.

No more traveling hours in the Arizona heat. No more wondering if relief would be temporary. With this chamber, he can continue his healing on his own terms.

It doesn’t erase the years of struggle. It doesn’t erase the memories of Afghanistan or the friends lost along the way. But it lightens the load.

“I have searched almost a lifetime,” Justin said. “This chamber, it means more to me than anything. It’s helping me heal. It’s giving me the strength to keep going, and to keep telling this story, so others don’t have to suffer the way I did.”



Justin’s story is a reminder that the weight veterans carry is not always visible. But with community, compassion, and support, it’s one we can help shoulder together.



You can help lift the weight for more veterans like Justin. Become a donor through Chive Charities and fund life-changing grants that restore hope for our nation’s heroes. DONATE HERE.