Pam was the blessing of a teenage pregnancy. Growing up in Corpus Christi, TX, Pam had a chaotic childhood, but her mom kept her busy with sports and dancing. She really found her passion for softball and went on to earn a scholarship as a catcher for the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
She excelled on the field but wasn’t enthusiastic about school. In 2003, Pam switched gears and joined the Coast Guard. She was stationed all over the U.S. and had varying jobs, including machinery technician and aviation specialist. During her service, she began experiencing neck and back pain. At one point the pain got so bad that she was using a lot of painkillers and also dosing with alcohol. However, she decided that she didn’t want to go out that road and stayed locked in with the Coast Guard.
After some time spent on reserve, Pam got called back to active duty in 2012. At her final station of duty, Pam worked on a difficult search and rescue case. She took a lot of impact on the boat, hitting her head multiple times as well as being tossed around and going airborne. Shortly after, Pam started having persistent back pain.
2014 hit Pam hard. After losing her grandma and best friend, homelessness, and experiencing chronic pain, Pam started having suicidal ideations. What helped save her was an emotional development training in Dallas. She ended up moving back to Texas in Oct 2014, investing a lot of time helping veterans and their own mental health.
Currently, Pam is back in school working on finishing her second Associate’s Degree. Her newest passion is her podcast, 2200TAPS, where she allows people to share stories of hope and tell how music has helped them overcome hardships in their lives.
In the next nine weeks, Pam is working to be free from the chronic pain of degenerative disc disorder and to learn tools that will allow her long-term pain relief. She’s also looking forward to the hope and healing that is found at ATF, both physically and emotionally. One thing that excites her is the comradery with her classmates.
Beyond this class, she is looking to push the limits of the 2200TAPS Podcast. She would love to give back to the ATF community as a platform of healing for ATF athletes to share their stories.
