Ep 12 - Deanna - Cancer Loss, Travis Manion Foundation, and Foster Care

Send us Fan MailGold Star spouse Deanna Phillips became a widow on March 5, 2010, when her beloved husband, Michael Phillips, a US Air Force veteran, lost his battle with service-connected cancer. The grief that followed was nearly paralyzing. She feared she’d always be alone. “When you lose a spouse, you have this heavy weight on you,” she says. “The whole world is erupting. You carry stuff and you keep carrying it and carrying it, and soon you don’t even realize that you’re carrying it.”Deanna learned about TMF in 2023, and it was the start of her journey to freedom. “I’d been involved in a lot of widow organizations,” she says, “but TMF is doing something other organizations don’t. Bringing together veterans and families of the fallen is so vital, because it gives you an understanding that you didn’t have before. It helps me understand my own story more.”When she began TMF’s Spartan Leadership Program (SLP)—a 7-month, life-changing experience designed to empower veterans and families of fallen military heroes to connect passion with purpose—Deanna felt reconnected to her husband. SLP made such an impact on Deanna that she is now one of TMF’s most active Spartan leaders. She leads the North Dallas chapter in all of its events and service projects, and is a Mentor with Character Does Matter. ---courtesy of the Travis Manion Foundation Impact and Stories Blog From Loss to Leadership: How Deanna Phillips Inspires CommunityCancer Caregiver Resources: VA | National Oncology Program US Veterans | Cancer Resources | Cancer Risk | American Cancer Society Caregivers | This Is Living With Cancer | Official SiteOrganizations mentioned: Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS) Is Here For You! Travis Manion Foundation | "If Not Me, Then Who..." DIRECTION61:3 | Help Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care In Texas