129: A Widow's Journey with Carmen East

On October 9, 2017, Carmen East's life changed forever.    Her husband, Texas Tech University Police Officer Floyd East Jr. was shot and killed on duty.    Carmen joins me on The Squad Room to tell the heart-wrenching story of losing her high-school sweetheart in the line of duty. Her story, and her relationship with Floyd is an absolute must-hear episode.    Carmen shares how Floyd's life-long dream was to become a police officer. It was a goal he worked hard to achieve later in life than most. He was so committed to the cause that he commuted nearly 12 hours roundtrip from his home in El Paso to the campus in Lubbock because they were willing to give him a shot.    In this episode you'll learn:  How Carmen and Floyd fell in love in high school but ended up married to other people.  How they reconnected and supported each other to pursue their dreams.  How Carmen and her daughters learned of Floyd's death.  How grief and heartache cannot stop a noble spirit committed to a cause.    Carmen is the founder of Texas635 (Floyd's badge number). This wonderful non-profit seeks to offset the sudden expenses incurred by families in the wake of a line-of-duty death. They also provide scholarships to officers to attend first responder trauma retreats. They're doing wonderful work.    Please take the time to listen to this episode.    A special thanks to Hard to Kill Fitness for sponsoring this episode. If you're looking for help getting or staying in shape during these difficult times, check out their wide variety of programs that you can use at-home or in the gym.    Check out our store! Go to thesquadroom.net by selecting "shop" or going straight to aworthycauselife.com In fact, our best seller this week is a shirt I call "Greater than the Critic" and it is inspired by the work we're doing in the midst of this challenging time.