Cathy Puskar was born in Bridgeport Connecticut into a hard-working blue-collar family. Her parents owned a manufacturing business and made aircraft parts for the military. Cathy was a machinist until her mid-twenties, earned a BS Degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston MA and learned programming and process improvement. She moved to Virginia in 1996, became a stay-at-home mom at 30 and began volunteering as an EMT, progressing to Cardiac Tech over 15 years. She also gained extensive medical knowledge through raising a preemie with neurological and orthopedic issues. In 2000 she became an ER tech and went to Nursing school earning her BSN from James Madison University. Her Nursing experience includes Emergency Room, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and Informatics (implementing software, promoting process improvement and training on the efficient use of electronic health records).

Cathy has a deep love for this country and the military that supports it. This was instilled in her by her father, an Army veteran and government contractor. She is single and has 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. She is an avid motorcyclist having just completed 3 weeks exploring amazing sites in Wyoming and South Dakota in a caravan of 22 people and a variety of campers and motorcycles. She loves nature, water and “birding” as well as playing the guitar, piano and singing, especially worship music.

MY WHY

I believe healing can happen and that I can be used as part of a Warriors healing tapestry. I have personally experienced trauma and recovery. I know each journey is different and believe my life and professional experiences can be used to bring a wholeness and joy beyond imagination. It takes strength and courage but I believe every person who walks through the doors of Warriors Heart has a unique and powerful story and that they can recover – totally – permanently – and use their story to help others heal too.