LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Helen Rosario was in the Army from 2007 to 2011, serving as a combat medic in Afghanistan during that time. She was a Table I medic, which means she worked on the most severe patient who needed help at a time. Howeever, her time in the military ended with her needing the help.
"We were coming back from our resupply mission and right before we actually got hit, me and my TC were like 'this is too quiet and these lights are never off' and right when we said that we got hit," said Rosario.
She was medivaced out and received a Purple Heart, but then had to figure out how to navigate back into civilian life. One way she's been able to cope is adopting dogs. Her most recent rescue was a dog she found on the side of the road in Texas.
"This one was a little lump of trash on the side of the road in Tyler, Texas who happened to make eye contact with us at just the right time," she said.
She picked him up and brought him home to Las Vegas. Friends chipped in to help pay for medical bills and despite doctor's warnings that he might not survive, she continued to help him, defying those doubts.
"He’s definitely come a long way from knocking on death’s door."
This new dog, along with her previous two, have become a helpful way to stay motivated in life.
"Me having to care for them, it keeps me a little bit grounded, just knowing they’re dependent on me, it gives me a little bit of purpose," she said.
