Bluffton veteran Toye Hickman said her life changed when her service dog Bake entered it two years ago through the K9s for Warriors program.
Hickman served 26 years in the Marine Corps. She said in her time as a Marine, she was a victim of sexual assault and harassment. After retiring, Hickman said, she had post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
"The sexual trauma I experienced in the Marine Corps was compounded by the sexual harassment that I received," Hickman said. "As a female, you were expected to put up with it, and if you didn't you were ostracized and blackballed. With me making it a career, it was just something you had to get used to, which really sucks."
Years after retirement, Hickman said, she was suicidal and turned to the internet for help. She found an article about service animals for people with PTSD, and through it she found K9s for Warriors.
K9s for Warriors is a charity that pairs veterans with service dogs. CEO Rory Diamond said the organization focuses on "invisible wounds," like PTSD, that veterans are left with after their service. The dogs used in this program are rescued from the streets and kill shelters.
Hickman applied for the program, and in July 2020 she was matched with Bake. Bake was found on the streets of San Antonio when he was a year old. He was brought to K9s for Warriors in 2019 and trained to become a service animal.
Hickman said she was matched with a dog based on her application, but she didn't meet him until she went to Florida to train with Bake at the K9s for Warriors facility. She said the program does a big reveal, and when she met Bake she "ugly cried because I knew he would help save my life."
Diamond said the reveal, which he calls "dog day," is a great day because the "warriors are able to take their first steps" to heal. He said veterans spend three weeks training with their dogs with the help of K9s for Warriors before they return home.
"In the few weeks the warriors are with us, you see their personalities come back. My favorite thing is when warriors' kids come to graduation and they can't believe it's their mom or dad," Diamond said.
During the three weeks of training, Hickman and Bake stayed close together so they could bond and learn about each other. She said Bake has learned how to tell when she's anxious or depressed and how to help her.
"He understands when my anxiety is going up. He'll follow me around, he'll pester me to get up and do something," Hickman said. "If I'm having a down day, even though he's a very active dog, he'll lay right beside me and won't leave my side."
Hickman said she hasn't been able to work because of her PTSD. Even though being in a work setting is hard, she is moving toward her goal to work again, but she said she will be OK if she can't.
For now she and Bake go on adventures, and she wants to hike the Appalachian Mountains with him by her side. Toye has a blog about her adventures with Bake and shares her story in hopes of helping others.
"Even though I don't know what I want to do in the future, now I actually see a future for myself," Hickman said. "Bake has allowed me to start to become the person I want to be and has given me the courage to figure out who I want to be."
Hickman served 26 years in the Marine Corps. She said in her time as a Marine, she was a victim of sexual assault and harassment. After retiring, Hickman said, she had post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
"The sexual trauma I experienced in the Marine Corps was compounded by the sexual harassment that I received," Hickman said. "As a female, you were expected to put up with it, and if you didn't you were ostracized and blackballed. With me making it a career, it was just something you had to get used to, which really sucks."
Years after retirement, Hickman said, she was suicidal and turned to the internet for help. She found an article about service animals for people with PTSD, and through it she found K9s for Warriors.
K9s for Warriors is a charity that pairs veterans with service dogs. CEO Rory Diamond said the organization focuses on "invisible wounds," like PTSD, that veterans are left with after their service. The dogs used in this program are rescued from the streets and kill shelters.
Hickman applied for the program, and in July 2020 she was matched with Bake. Bake was found on the streets of San Antonio when he was a year old. He was brought to K9s for Warriors in 2019 and trained to become a service animal.
Hickman said she was matched with a dog based on her application, but she didn't meet him until she went to Florida to train with Bake at the K9s for Warriors facility. She said the program does a big reveal, and when she met Bake she "ugly cried because I knew he would help save my life."
Diamond said the reveal, which he calls "dog day," is a great day because the "warriors are able to take their first steps" to heal. He said veterans spend three weeks training with their dogs with the help of K9s for Warriors before they return home.
"In the few weeks the warriors are with us, you see their personalities come back. My favorite thing is when warriors' kids come to graduation and they can't believe it's their mom or dad," Diamond said.
During the three weeks of training, Hickman and Bake stayed close together so they could bond and learn about each other. She said Bake has learned how to tell when she's anxious or depressed and how to help her.
"He understands when my anxiety is going up. He'll follow me around, he'll pester me to get up and do something," Hickman said. "If I'm having a down day, even though he's a very active dog, he'll lay right beside me and won't leave my side."
Hickman said she hasn't been able to work because of her PTSD. Even though being in a work setting is hard, she is moving toward her goal to work again, but she said she will be OK if she can't.
For now she and Bake go on adventures, and she wants to hike the Appalachian Mountains with him by her side. Toye has a blog about her adventures with Bake and shares her story in hopes of helping others.
"Even though I don't know what I want to do in the future, now I actually see a future for myself," Hickman said. "Bake has allowed me to start to become the person I want to be and has given me the courage to figure out who I want to be."
Bluffton veteran shares how her service dog changed her life
Marine veteran Toye Hickman shares her journey with PTSD and her service dog Bake.
www.blufftontoday.com
