At just 30 years old, Amanda Martino is the recipient of two Purple Hearts. Amanda, who served as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan, was injured not once but twice, first by a IED blast and then again by a suicide bomber. Amanda is grateful to be alive and despite her injuries she heroically continues to serve our country in the Air National Guard.
Both Amanda Martino and her mom Deborah were nominated for a GLAM4GOOD day of pampering by The Bob Woodruff Foundation, an organization that I have joined forces with on many occasions in order to pamper and honor our wounded warriors and their caregivers. The Bob Woodruff Foundation is a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that post-9/11 injured service members, veterans and their families are thriving long after they return home. Anne Marie Dougherty, the Executive Director of the foundation, nominated Amanda and her mother Deborah for a special day of pampering because as she says, "Amanda not only received the Purple Heart, she received it twice, and continues to serve in the Air National Guard. She's a determined young woman focused on succeeding at home -- earning her masters degree and starting a new career. And, like so many mothers of service members, Amanda's mother, Deborah, has lived through the separation and the fear of what can happen during deployments." When Anne Marie reached out to me she said "a GLAM4GOOD experience is a great way to give Amanda and her Mom quality time together to be pampered and, hopefully, some time to forget about things like the deployments or the injuries. Reconnection with family is important and helpful with reintegration."
I talked to Amanda and her mother and asked them what they felt they needed and would really appreciate on our special day together. Most important to Amanda was that she and her mother could be pampered at the same time and she told me she would love to have her hair styled and some beautiful new clothes that she could wear to honor her femininity when not in uniform. Amanda said it had been a long time since her hair was done professionally or she had worn a dress. I reached out to my friends at Suave Professionals for a celebrity hair stylist to cut and style Amanda's hair, the exciting new dress barn for an on-trend dress wardrobe, and celebrity makeup artist Nicole Bryl of Makeup New York to help me pamper and treat Amanda and her mother to a very special day to salute Amanda's service and courage with style.
Watch the video and see what happens when GLAM4GOOD honors Amanda and her Mom with a very empowering, fashionable day and a surprise trip to HuffPost Live to share their story with the world.
I support our veterans with GLAM4GOOD. To find out how you can support our veterans too please follow the Bob Woodruff Foundation to learn how you can join them in their efforts to help find, fund and shape programs reaching our injured veterans and their families.
Special thanks to Reid Rolls for the behind-the-scenes photographs.
