Coast Guard veteran Kerry Sprague is seeking help after suffering major losses
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Wednesday, Kerry Sprague’s life changed in an instant.
The Coast Guard veteran was at work when she got a devastating phone call from her neighbor, friend and fellow veteran, Jacquelyn Ramos.
Ramos said she saw smoke billowing from the back of her home. Sprague’s first thought was to tell Ramos to save the girls. She was referring to her service dogs.
Ramos said she jumped over her fence and into Sprague’s backyard.
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Thinking quickly, Ramos got down on her knees and crawled through the dog door and into the house.
She didn’t immediately see the dogs.
“Before I knew it, the roof and kitchen were coming down, and I had to backtrack out of there,” Ramos said.
When fire crews arrived, they brought Sprague’s four service dogs outside and began resuscitating them.
“But they didn’t make it,” Sprague said.
In that moment, her heart broke.
“I don’t want to say that I died, but I did,” Sprague said.
She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, so not only did she consider them family, but she also depended on the service animals.
“I don’t survive without my dog. I can’t leave my house without my dog; I will have medical episodes in public,” Sprague said. “The invisible illnesses have such an ugly stigmatism. Our veterans don’t talk about it, and we don’t get the help that we need.”
Now, Sprague needs the community’s help.
A Volusia County-based group called Ormond Strong is now raising money on her behalf.
“This is a woman who served her country successfully, and now she’s lost everything,” Ramos said. “And even if it’s a dollar: do what you can, do what’s in your heart.”
Sprague has been trying the best way she knows how. So she spends a lot of time laughing with Ramos to shield the pain.
If you want to donate to help Sprague, Ormond Strong set up a GoFundMe, which can be found here.
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