Honoring veterans like Raphael on Veterans Day and every day
Published on Nov 11, 2021
Born in Manchester, England, Raphael and his family moved to the Bronx when he was nine years old. A few years after graduating high school, Raphael joined the Army, traveling to Georgia and California on active duty for 2 years. Later Raphael joined NYC Sanitation, but remained committed to his military service by entering the Reserves.
In 2003, Raphael received the call to serve first in Kuwait and then Iraq. He received a diagnosis of severe diabetes while overseas and experienced events that left him with PTSD.
Recently, Raphael found God's Love We Deliver and in August joined our new home-delivered meal program for veterans living with PTSD. His medical team is thrilled that he is receiving medically tailored meals because the results are dramatic: his A1C is decreasing because he is eating less sugar; and having meals delivered to his home keeps his mood calm because he does not have to worry about going outside, which can trigger his PTSD.