Vianca Vazquez shares her experience in the Marine Corps and the challenges she faced, including injuries and inadequate medical care. She also discusses her experience of MST and highlights the impact of these experiences on the loss of her dream to serve in the military.

Vianca and Rachelle discuss the challenges of navigating cultural expectations as first-generation immigrants. Vianca's struggle with mental health and her journey to seek help and healing can provide hope to listeners. Vianca shares her experience of writing children's books to open up conversations about mental health and provide support for others.

She aims to bridge the communication gap and provide resources for children to understand mental health. The episode concludes with discussing her long-term goal of supporting survivors and funding for the future.

Takeaways

- Inadequate medical care and dismissive attitudes towards injuries can have long-lasting physical and emotional consequences for service members.

- MST is a significant issue that often goes unreported due to fear, shame, and a lack of support.

- The lack of awareness and reporting options for MST within the military can leave survivors feeling silenced and unsupported.

- Experiences of trauma and mistreatment can have a profound impact on a person's sense of identity and can lead to the loss of dreams and aspirations.

- Creating educational books can help bridge the communication gap and provide resources for children to understand mental health.

Vianca's website: https://www.mottobunnie.com/

Book collection: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AVianca+Vazquez&s=relevancerank&text=Vianca+Vazquez&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motto-moves-by-motto-bunnie/id1658947537?i=1000618825472

Vet Center Lookup: https://www.va.gov/find-locations/?facilityType=vet_center

No material on this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified and licensed physician or other medical care provider, and follow their advice. If you are experiencing thoughts of harming yourself or others, please contact 911 or any of the following resources:

Suicide Prevention Hotline - 988

Veterans Crisis Line - 988, then press 1

NAMI - 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)

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Credits:

• Intro/Outro by Rich Culbreath
• Sound Engineer: Chris T