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Stacey Hawley is very clear about the date that changed her life forever: July 28, 2018. That’s when Army Sgt. Nathaniel Heath-Price, her only son, was hit while riding a motorcycle and left to die on the side of the road.

Her son, a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, was home after a deployment in Afghanistan.

“The emergency room doctor took me in a room and said, ‘You need to say your goodbyes. He's not going to make it through the night. He has less than a 1 percent chance of living,’” Hawley remembered.

Three days later, Hawley had a heart attack. Fortunately, she was OK and Heath-Price’s army buddies stepped in to sit by her son’s bedside. “From then on, I have devoted my whole self to taking care of him,” Hawley said. 

Heath-Price has a severe traumatic brain injury, is in a wheelchair and is bed bound. Since 2018, Hawley has focused on taking care of him, including finding a house for them to share in Tampa, Florida, and fighting for benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Since the accident, Heath-Price has come far with support from doctors, nurses, therapists and friends. He can control his wheelchair, has participated in a number of activities—including surfing, parachuting and bowling—offered by Semper Fi, Wounded Warrior Project, Black Dagger Military Hunt Club and other organizations.

“One thing I would like to add is that when the accident happened it changed the whole trajectory for the rest of my life. I was working my job, advancing in my profession, saving for retirement, traveling on my vacations—doing the things that normal people do,” Hawley explained. After the accident, she was unable to do any of those activities.

“We went without assistance from the VA for so long that I ended up using my retirement funds to live on and, of course, my professional life that I loved had to go by the wayside,” she added. 

Now, as a recipient of the Pillars of Strength Scholarship, Hawley will be able to complete a bachelor’s degree either to advance her position as a paralegal or, possibly, to study psychology at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC).

Earlier this year, Hawley took part in Project Odyssey with Wounded Warrior Projects. The no-cost 12-week mental health retreat for veterans is sometimes available to family members and caretakers like Hawley. Just prior to the retreat, Hawley received word that she had been accepted as a 2024 Elizabeth Dole Foundation fellow. As a fellow, Hawley advocates for military caregivers in her local community and nationally. She will travel to Washington, D.C., this

September to meet with congress members and legislators to advocate changes focused on the rights of veterans and caregivers.

It was through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation that Hawley learned about the flexible educational opportunities at UMGC. She already had an associate degree and wanted to pursue a bachelor’s degree. 

Not long after applying for enrollment, �Ҹ������� contacted Hawley to encourage her to look into the Pillars of Strength Scholarship, which covers full tuition and fees for caregivers of ill, injured or recovering servicemembers and veterans. On a phone call that Hawley thought was part of the Pillars of Strength interview process, she was asked, “Will you accept the scholarship?”

“I was so shocked,” Hawley said. “It was such a perfect opportunity. It's like it was put there on purpose and came to me for a reason.”

Hawley works as a paralegal for a law firm. Fortunately, she had a boss who is flexible and permits her to work from home. She said she loves that her job allows her to meet new people and tell their stories to the judge.

“The judge doesn't get to know the ins and outs of these people, all the details of their life,” Hawley said. “I condense everything into basically a story, the way I see it, so that the judge knows from beginning to end of what's going on and why he or she wants what they want.’’ 

As a way to connect with the caregivers of other servicemembers and veterans, Hawley joined Thrive, a new program designed to support post-military life through health, resiliency and redefined passions. The program launched through the Tampa Veteran Affairs Office and, after completing it, Hawley decided to create a Facebook page to help members of the Thrive group stay connected. From its original 12 members, the group has since grown to 56 members who have completed the program.

“This way we can all keep track of each other and maybe figure out coffee dates or whatever through that page,” Hawley said. “That way we're there to encourage each other and see how everyone is doing.”