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Tampa mom shares journey caring for injured veteran son, local help available to avoid caregiving burnout

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Published  February 14, 2026 11:55am EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News
A mother's love through caregiving

A mother's love through caregiving

Valentine’s Day weekend usually comes with flowers and dinner plans. For many families, love shows up differently: in hospital rooms, therapy appointments and the quiet work of caregiving. FOX 13's Matthew McClellan reports.

The Brief

    • A Tampa Bay mother is sharing her family’s caregiving story this Valentine’s Day weekend. It's a reminder that love can also look like full-time care.
    • Stacey Hawley's son, Nathaniel Heathprice, served two combat tours in Afghanistan and later suffered a life-changing motorcycle crash, according to his mother.
    • Senior Connection Center says caregivers don’t have to do this alone and can call the Elder Helpline for guidance and local support.

TAMPA, Fla. - Valentine’s Day weekend usually comes with flowers and dinner plans. For many families, love shows up differently: in hospital rooms, therapy appointments and the quiet work of caregiving.

The backstory:

Stacey Hawley says her son left for boot camp in 2013 and served about eight years, including two combat tours in Afghanistan. After his second deployment (2017 into early 2018), she says he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash.

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Hawley describes getting a call around 4 a.m. and rushing to the hospital, where she says a doctor told her he had less than a 1% chance of surviving the night. Hawley later sums up the ongoing reality of caregiving simply: "Every day is a struggle."

Dig deeper:

Senior Connection Center encourages caregivers to reach out before they hit a breaking point. The organization’s Elder Helpline can help people figure out next steps, sort through options and connect to local resources.

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For eligible veterans, one option families may hear about is Veteran-Directed Care (VDC). It's a VA program designed to help veterans receive needed home and community-based services in a consumer-directed way, including assistance with daily activities, and it can be used when a caregiver is experiencing burden.

What you can do:

Senior Connection Center’s Elder Helpline can be reached at 1-800-963-5337 (1-800-96-ELDER).

The Source: Nathaniel Heathprice’s timeline and Stacey Hawley’s quote come from an interview transcript provided for the story. Senior Connection Center contact information comes from the organization’s website. Information about the VA’s Veteran-Directed Care program comes from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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