It all started September 3rd, when Joe and I received a call from his sister Carrie. Who we were, what we wanted in life, our priorities……everything changed in that instant.

Our first goal was to move home. We had been living in Georgia for a year because of Joe’s job at IBM.  It was a very difficult year, being away from our boys, our families, traveling back and forth every month. Now in retrospect, I see it was meant to be because it gave Joe and I many hours and days with Ben that we wouldn’t have had if we didn’t live that close to him. I cherish that year because of just that. Ben taught us that life can be short and you never know. Joe climbing the corporate ladder wasn’t a priority now, being close to family was more important than ever. We moved three months later, a week before Christmas, but we made it home.  Home sweet (rental) home.

I remember the exact time when the idea of Stiggys Dogs was created. Joe, Spencer, Rosie and I were driving together to the lake house, to spread Ben’s ashes in the lake. Talk went from Ben, to dogs, to therapy dogs, to therapy dogs for Veterans. Once it was spoken, the ideas grew, took shape and was passionately  implanted within me. At first, I was selfish with my reasons. I was NOT going to let Ben’s name, and who he was, die with him. I wanted future Petre/Castiglione generations to know Ben, know how caring and giving he was.  I was not going to let his death stand for nothing!

My determination grew as I got to know the other Corpsman, Marines, and the families that were affected by the same blast. Seeing  how these young men, women, families and children are all trying to cope and heal. Hearing many stories first hand from these people impacted me in a greater way. This wasn’t just about Ben anymore, but about the many (to many) Veterans, who are living with and trying to cope with the events they saw, or were in.

Starting a non profit was a great feat. With no money to hire people (business plan, accountant, lawyer) I spent months researching, writing, and building. I took one step forward, and three steps back. But all the time I stayed focus on an end goal: I wanted to have Stiggys Dogs up and running by the year anniversary of Ben’s death….

Here I am, at the pivotal point of this long journey. I am filled with emotions:  grief, fear, excitement, anxiety, sadness, happiness, stress and hope.