Illinois caregiver gifted $5k for service to family and community
Hidden Hero Spotlight: Serving family and community
As part of our Fox Forward Holiday Campaign, we are spotlighting an Illinois caregiver, who quietly serves her family and surrounding community. Like many veteran caregivers --- she knows service can continue long after deployment ends. Kasey Chronis takes us to paw paw with the heartwarming story.
PAW PAW, Ill. - Hidden heroes and helpers are all around us. They may be our loved ones, friends, or even neighbors — but oftentimes their efforts go unnoticed.
As part of the FOX Forward Holiday Campaign, FOX 32 is spotlighting an Illinois caregiver who participates in the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's Hidden Heroes program — quietly serving her family and surrounding community.
Like many veteran caregivers, Theresa Coomer knows that service can continue long after deployment ends.
This weekend, FOX Corporation and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation awarded the Coomer family $5,000.
What we know:
Day in and day out, Theresa Coomer puts others first — including her children, Timmy, 7, and Violet, 5.
Her dedication also extends to her classroom and students at Paw Paw School, just down the street from where the Coomer family lives.
"I love being a teacher, I love being a person that is a constant in students' lives," Theresa said.
In addition, she cares for her husband, Marcus, a retired Army corporal.
"He was injured in a tank accident; he was a tank driver, he went over an IED, and it broke his back," Coomer explained.
During that explosion in Iraq in 2004, Marcus — who is a Purple Heart recipient — also sustained a traumatic brain injury.
The two met soon after he returned to the United States, and Theresa stepped into a role that many people find themselves in.
"I didn't realize I was a caregiver until the VA told me I was a caregiver," Theresa shared. "I think especially for active duty and veterans, it's even harder to see yourself as the caregiver because they have gone through so much and you want to honor them and their service."
As a 'Hidden Hero,' Theresa has stood by her husband's side — through ups and downs.
"We have about 20 years of experience dealing with the ins and outs of his severe PTSD and moral injury, so I can sense when a day is going to be a rough day," she said.
Theresa's 'Hidden Helpers' know what to do, too.
"If he has a heavy heart or a heavy head, we normally have a gentle day," explained Timmy, Marcus and Theresa's son.
Dig deeper:
Since 2019, Theresa has served in another role, too — as a fellow for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
"When I applied for fellowship, it was the first step in me finding my own voice," Theresa said.
The nonprofit was established to empower military and veteran caregivers.
In the words of the organization's founder, former North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole:
"Hidden heroes is our way of providing these selfless men and women serving in the shadows with the help and recognition they deserve."
"Through my fellowship work, I realized that I belong at tables, it's okay for me to tell my story and it's okay for me to tell my struggles with everything that we've been through," Theresa said.
Theresa recently attended the foundation's gala in Washington, D.C., and as a family, the Coomers went to Florida for this year's Hidden Helpers Summit.
"The pride that Timmy had especially coming into that event changed things for him," Theresa said. "It has also connected me to a world of caregivers across the country that are some of my closest friends. And when I am starting to feel very overwhelmed, I know I have a community that I can reach out to."
It is a community that relies on her, too.
As our FOX 32 crew got to know Theresa and the impact she’s making, we had the honor of surprising her with a $5,000 FOX Forward Holiday grant.
What's next:
On average in the U.S., one in four adults serve as a family caregiver — accounting for millions of Americans who dedicate their lives to taking care of a loved one.
If you feel compelled to join FOX in helping military and veteran caregivers through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, click here.