Sarah Verardo

Sarah Verardo is a national advocate for wounded Veterans and their Caregivers. Her husband Michael was catastrophically wounded in Afghanistan in 2010 in two separate IED attacks that took his left leg, much of his left arm, and left him with polytraumatic conditions that have required more than one hundred surgeries and years of speech, visual, physical, and occupational therapies

Starting as a volunteer with the Independence Fund, Verardo’s steadfast devotion, experience, and drive led to her eventual selection as the organization’s first Chief Executive Officer. Verardo carries on the legacy of The Independence Fund’s roots by continuing the hallmark all-terrain track chair program to provide mobility to wounded heroes. She created the nonprofit’s Caregiver, Family, Mobility, Independence@Home, and Advocacy programs. Based on personal experience from her husband’s military unit, Verardo also developed a partnership with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) that works to combat Veteran suicide through reunions of some of the hardest-hit units of the War on Terror. This revolutionary program, Operation RESILIENCY, works with the VA and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to recall units for peer support, relying on bonds formed during war and keeping the commitment of shared experience and brotherhood alive back home.

Verardo advises Administration officials and members of Congress on the experiences of the families of severely wounded Veterans and has been instrumental in shaping national policy for our warfighters and their families. Regularly appearing on cable news to commentate on the sacrifice of Veterans and Military families, Verardo is a respected subject matter expert in the field.

"Hero at Home" was inspired by Verardo's personal family journey. Grace's dad is an inspiration to so many, and he is not the only one in his family who deals with the scars of war. This book is dedicated to the brave men of Bravo Company, 2-508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, who fought alongside Grace's dad. The book is in tribute to Mike's military brothers: the ones who came home, and in loving memory of the ones who did not.

"Hero at Home" is an important read for those wishing to embrace the wounded heroes in their community and honor military families across the globe. Acknowledging that the war doesn't end upon homecoming, "Hero at Home" celebrates the contribution that our Veterans have made, and it shines a light on how vital it is to embrace these special families. One hundred percent of proceeds from "Hero at Home" go to benefit The Independence Fund's programs.