Whole Health

Bre Dakins and her mother and caregiver, Margo, have attended Pain University at Camp American Legion since 2021.

Finding Healing in the Northwoods: A Veteran's Whole Health Journey

In Wisconsin’s Northwoods, wild rivers run among lush forests. Bald eagles soar over picturesque lakes, searching the water below for the life-sustaining power of nature. The same can be said of the Veterans who watch these birds from their kayaks at Camp American Legion.

Since 2014, the 300-acre rural retreat has been a peaceful refuge for Veterans facing the chaos of chronic pain. It is on these grounds that campers find healing in the spirit of community, self-compassion, and the great outdoors.

Campers like Army Veteran Bre Dakins. For three of the past four years, Dakins has attended Pain University (Pain U, for short) at Camp American Legion — a weeklong program supported by Tomah VA Whole Health.

“My mind was blown,” Dakins, now a camp regular, recalled of her lifechanging experience with Whole Health and Pain U. But she didn’t always feel that sense of hope.

A battle plan for pain

There was a time when Dakins’s future was uncertain. Having injured her knee during a ruck march, and undergone several surgeries as a result, she was forced to medically retire from the Army in 2018. To deal with the pain, she was prescribed a battery of medications that included painkillers and muscle relaxers. They only caused her to regress.

“I honestly just [felt] sick all the time,” Dakins said. “Everything just hurt.”

Her mother and caregiver, Margo, agreed. “When she … came home, there were no instructions given to us. To unpack all that in the days and weeks and months, it was like, ‘Okay, there has to be more than this because this is no way for her to live her life in pain and in her bedroom and sheltered.’”

At the height of her struggles, Dakins was taking as many as 26 pills per day. Fortunately, that all changed when her physician recommended Whole Health. Though she was initially skeptical, she was willing to give it a try.

“At first, I was like, ‘Uh oh,’” Dakins said. “Because I didn’t fully understand what it was.”

But her new health and wellness coach, Sara Krueger, had a plan. She enrolled Dakins in the Taking Charge of My Life and Health class. Then the two worked on establishing SMART goals. The result was a “game changer.”

“For so long I had been told that in order to take care of these problems I had to take these medicines, and I felt like it was honestly making me worse instead of better,” Dakins said. “And then, as soon as I met with Sara … it became more of like a well-rounded … way to take care of myself.” Under the supervision of her doctors, she was able to cut back on her medication and ease into movement-based therapies like yoga and tai chi. “I continuously felt a little bit better and a little bit better. I have to say [Whole Health] was so beneficial, and if it wasn’t for that, I can tell you I’d probably still be on 26, if not more, pills a day and being miserable and not moving.”

Bre Dakins and her caregiver Margo smile for the camera!

Going camping

Dakins first arrived, alongside her mother, at Camp American Legion for Pain U in September of 2021. While it took her some time to warm up, she realized she was in good company soon enough.

“During the campfire time I could see her opening up,” her mother said. “She didn’t talk right away, but you could see that the wheels were turning, and that these were her kind of people. They were going through some of the same things.”

“Campfire time” is an integral part of Pain U. So are pontoon fishing, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boating, and hiking — all provided free of charge to Veterans, their spouses, and dependent-age children, according to Camp Director Jim Klement. Cabins and meals are also supplied, thanks to support from VA and private donors.

Dakins’s favorite aspect is the adaptive adventures, which have allowed her to get back into things like biking and kayaking. “One of the best parts about camp is that … they even the playing field … no matter what your ailment is, they make it so everyone’s equal. No one’s pain is worse or better, no one’s injury is worse or better. [We’re all] important enough to ask for help.”

Lessons in living

Dakins is among the 31.5% of Veterans who suffer from chronic pain. And though it may never fully go away, she isn’t letting it define her life.

“The biggest thing that Camp American Legion, and Pain U, and Whole Health [have] really taught me is that if something doesn’t work, if it doesn’t help, there’s something else – there’s always something else,” she said. “Just keep asking. I’ve found so many different ways to help with my pain that I never would have considered myself until [my VA health care team] had brought it to my attention. You really can live and not just survive.”

Camp American Legion and Pain U, staffed by volunteers who are also Veterans, offer a more holistic, Veteran-centric approach to pain management through the Whole Health model of care. For Klement, it’s always a demanding season — but one that’s well worth the effort when he considers the impact on campers: “Just for them to sit down and kind of breathe the air, watch the bald eagles fly, and just kind of realize that … ‘Life is okay. I’m here, and I’m fine.’”