The Aurora University Veterans Association will be host to a keynote speaker and panel discussion to inform community members and concerned individuals about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) among many walks of life at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 at the Aurora University Crimi Auditorium, 347 S. Gladstone Avenue, Aurora.
The keynote speakers for the event will be Vietnam veteran Mike Barbour and his wife Jan Barbour. Mr. and Mrs. Barbour know first hand the struggles of post-traumatic stress as well as how it affects one’s family.
“Don’t wait 43 years like I did. Get help now fighting those demons,” said Mike Barbour. “The VA Mental Health Team and Vet Centers around the country are there for you.”
Jan Barbour reminds us that “families of those fighting PTSD suffer, too.”
Birkey will be joined for a panel discussion by Gabriela, a survivor of human trafficking, Daisy Diaz-Strong, PhD, director of Aurora University Masters of Social Work Program, Sabrina Misra, MSW, LCSW, US Army veteran and crisis interventionist Northwestern Medical, Alisa Neary, MSW, LCSW, clinical director of Mutual Ground, and Kevin Triplett, U.S. Army veteran, Aurora Police Department sergeant (retired).
This event is free and open to the public.
— Aurora University Veterans Association