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LT Evan Skarbek Named Warrior of the Month
LT Evan Skarbek entered into military service in a non-traditional way. He began his career in the civilian sector and attended graduate school for his master's of business administration. He was commissioned as a Naval officer in his late 20s. His role was to improve hospital and clinical operations, including devising a throughput testing facility for the COVID-19 pandemic that was shared throughout civilian hospitals in the Southeast region of the U.S.
About four years into his service, he began experiencing debilitating back pain that led to a stay at Naval Hospital Jacksonville. He was diagnosed with late stage 3 testicular cancer.
"In about three days time, I went from a gainfully employed service member, doing what I loved at Naval Hospital Jacksonville and competing in CrossFit with my wife, to moving across the country to Phoenix, Ariz. and reporting to a chemotherapy chair as my new 9-to-5. My wife and i went from writing thank-you notes from our wedding to just trying to survive; our life was on hold."
"I am fortunate because I had a strong support system of family and friends pitching in to help us. I owe my life to those who stepped up during our time of need."
Even with the strong support network, the Skarbeks were falling behind in their expenses and paperwork.
"I will never forget the day I was introduced to Tara Redshaw, a recovery care coordinator at Navy Wounded Warrior. Within the first 60 minutes, Tara came to my aid not only to lay out an action plan to right this ship, but she also took the time to listen, empathize, and triage my non-medical issues and provide solutions. Within 24 hours, she introduced me to multiple organizations across the U.S. She personally ensured I was making contact with the right folks and day by day, everything got better. It's been a year of working together and I feel blessed to have had the overwhelming support of Navy Wounded Warrior so that I could focus on my health and family.
"I want to impart one final thought to anyone reading this: You are not in this alone."
LT Skarbek, nominated by Recovery Care Coordinator Ericka Vega, was named Wounded Warrior of the Month because he consistently demonstrates what it looks like to face unexpected difficulty and a daunting diagnosis with Honor, Courage, and Commitment. He is self-driven, grateful, kind, optimistic, patient, brave, and positive, even in the face of challenging protocols. One can often hear Navy Wounded Warrior staff express, "I am a better person after speaking with him."
Numquam Navigare Solus – Never to Sail Alone
Navy Wounded Warrior coordinates the non-medical care of seriously wounded, ill, and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen, and provides resources and support to their families and caregivers. Regional non-medical care providers tailor support to each enrolled service member’s recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration needs. The program allows service members and their families to focus on recovery without distraction. To date, nearly 10,000 seriously wounded, ill, and injured service members located throughout the country received assistance from Navy Wounded Warrior.
Sailors and Coast Guardsmen may self-refer to Navy Wounded Warrior, or be referred by a family member, their command leadership or their medical team. Contact the Navy Wounded Warrior call center at 855-NAVY WWP / 855-628-9997, or email navywoundedwarrior.fct@navy.mil.