A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to interview Annette Whittenberger, an Army Veteran who suffered with PTSD, anxiety and depression for a documentary that we are doing on the subject of mental health. In the days that followed, I had a conversation with Katelyn Page, whose very life can be defined as an overcomer. Due to a traumatic situation at her home, she also suffered with PTSD at a young age. Through the help of loved ones as well as her amazing strength and determination, she not only overcame it, but has dedicated her life to advocacy to help others in their struggles.

We talked with her on Tuesday to discuss how she first recognized the symptoms, as well as talking with her family about it. Although the video above provides the context of her story, there were several points that she provided that really stand out, one of them is her special friend here:

She talks about how important it was for Shiloh to come into her life at such a difficult time. “Not everyone shows the same symptoms and what really helped me was that I got a service animal. Because my night terrors and being so afraid to sleep in my house was so bad, I had to get a service animal. Her name is Shiloh, and that means abundance of peace and hope in Hebrew. That’s exactly what she brought me, because until I had her, I felt like I could never heal. My mom actually got me Shiloh and I was able to sleep again in my own home. I would bring her to therapy and with me to the police station. It made me really happy, because she brought me peace and love which I could never repay her for.”

She even talks about how she was able to take Shiloh paddle boating in the lake near their home. “I knew I wanted her to come out with me on the paddle board. She just hopped on and now as a three year old, she loves to go out on the lake. I just think it’s really important to have those moments, especially during a difficult moment in your life.”

We go on to ask her about the necessity for more resources to be allocated in Prince William County. “Knowing that 10 year olds are committing suicide because they don’t feel they have the resources or support or ability to share what is going on in their life, is unacceptable. What we need to do is to make mental health access more accessible to everyone. We need to continue having the conversations, and break the stigma surrounding mental health, PTSD and childhood bullying.”

“We need more treatment facilities in Prince William County. We cannot rely on non-profits to do the work that our state and county should be doing here.”

She states that even during the current pandemic, people locally can still access these services. “During COVID-19, people need to know that they can still receive those treatments. We need to have more resources online.”

Below are several sites provided by Ms. Page where people can access available resources to help deal with PTSD and Sexual Assault for both civilians and military personnel.

National Sexual Violence Resource Center

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

ACTS Sexual Assault Services

RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network)

A Wild Ride Called Life

She shares a message for those who may feel as if they have no one to turn to:

“You should never be ashamed to reach out and ask for help, because I promise you, every single person is at least touched by PTSD, anxiety, depression and suicide. Anyone you may ever think of, they are touched by it in some way, shape or form.”