Veteran helps Veterans to Choose VA health care
VA is more than health care; it’s a Veteran family. Southern Arizona VA Health Care showed this when the health of the son of a volunteer began to decline, and they were able to support their extended family.
“Only beautiful people get cancer,” said Army Veteran Anthony Starace with a smile. During a routine MRI of his shoulder in 2020, Starace was unexpectedly diagnosed with a malignant growth on the brain, which changed his life. Despite a difficult prognosis he continued to live life to the fullest.
Starace’s Army career in the Logistics Corps took him from Arizona to Florida, Korea, Kentucky and Washington, D.C, where he served the Old Guard. Sadly, on May 7, 2024, cancer took his life, but his message to fellow Veterans endures: utilize VA health care benefits.
Back in Tucson Arizona, Starace was grateful to be surrounded by family; he credits VA for providing superior care and support throughout his entire health care journey. “The health care is incredible,” he said. “Get checked out because you never know you're going to walk in with a bad shoulder and walk out with cancer.”
Starace wanted to share his VA health care experience as motivation to other Veterans. In part because of the camaraderie that he found at VA.
“Another Veteran was the first person to treat me like a bro, like a Vet, and not offer pity because I have cancer,” said Starace. “I've never met so many amazing people who have helped me more than folks at the VA.”
For Starace, VA fulfilled its mission “to care for those who shall have borne the battle and for their families, caregivers and survivors” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.
“It’s not like the private sector,” he said. “I had a therapist who was a former Marine who spoke to me like I was a normal person, and I could feel that he cared.”
Another element Starace saw to be a strength in VA care was VA’s Whole Health concept. It centers around what matters to a patient, not what is the matter with a patient.
“Anthony’s health care team really got to know him,” said Starace’s wife Rachel. His team developed a personalized health plan based on his values, needs and goals, with complementary and integrative health and other well-being approaches. Whole Health puts you, not your symptoms, at the center of your care decisions, according to VA.
Starace was transferred to Tucson for hospice care so he could be with family. They praised VA for the emotional and physical support as well as the financial significance felt by their family.
“We tracked the thousands of dollars that the VA has covered for his treatment,” said Mrs. Starace. “I've kept track of every note that comes in the mail that says, ‘this is not a bill’ that otherwise would stop my heart with the amount that's listed.”
Starace, a self-proclaimed stubborn ass, followed doctor’s advice to live his life.
Despite his battle with cancer, Starace started a junk moving business, College HUNKS, which aims to provide “Honest, Uniformed, Nice and Knowledgeable Service,” or in short: HUNKS.
The Starace story is one every Veteran should take to heart – get checked early and often. Utilize eligible services and take advantage of the timely, quality care available to Veterans with VA care, which is built around respect for the physical, psychological and spiritual health of all Veterans. Enroll today.