Women Veterans Find Strength and Support at Colorado Retreat

From 15 to 18 September, twelve women veterans gathered in September at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colo., for a three-day retreat hosted by the Mountain States Chapter.  Surrounded by mountain views and swaths of aspen and spruce, the women recharged in nature, built new friendships and took part in adaptive activities including horseback riding, archery, rafting on the Colorado River and yoga. Over shared meals and evening card games, laughter echoed and stories unfurled, opening space for the kind of connection that everyday life rarely allows. 

“Getting together with women veterans really opens you up,” said Erin Cavit, an Air Force veteran and the retreat’s organizer. Perhaps most importantly, they spoke candidly about living with disabilities and how to adapt. 

“We can freely talk about things that we wouldn’t talk about if men were present,” said Tamara Peruzzo, an Army veteran living with multiple sclerosis. She came away with next steps: a grant to apply for that could help pay for a stair lift at home and a new medication to discuss with her doctor. “It’s nice knowing I’m not the only one having issues as a MS patient and as a woman veteran,” she said.

Tammara Thayer, an Air Force veteran who also lives with MS, came away feeling empowered, with a list of new friends she can call anytime. “Even if they don’t know the answer, they’ll see what they can come up with,” she said. She was so moved by the generosity of the women that on the last morning she cried. “Every person should have that type of connection.” 

Rebecca Rhea Benson, an Air Force veteran with a T2 spinal cord injury, echoed that feeling. Living in a rural area outside Grand Junction, she often feels isolated. “Finding peer support groups is harder over here than if I lived in the big city, so it was good to connect with other folks who are also disabled,” she said.

Injured two years ago in a fall from her roof, Benson appreciated discovering activities she can still do. “Archery really clicked with me,” she said. Rafting did, too, though she was initially nervous getting onto the raft. The staff from the National Sports Center for the Disabled, who ran the activities, “knew what they were doing,” Benson said, and the transfer was seamless. “To be part of a larger group, that felt good.”

For Army veteran Rene Flecksteiner, a highlight from the retreat was riding a horse again, something she loved as a child but hadn’t done since being diagnosed with MS. “Being outdoors and doing activities makes you feel like you’re worthwhile again,” she said. “If it wasn’t for PVA, I wouldn’t be going to do anything. My depression would be 1,000 times worse.

These retreats make us realize we’re not alone. It brought life back into me.