One Retired Sheriff’s Journey Through PTSD and Toward Healing

June 01, 2025

West Palm Beach, Fl - In sunny Orange County, Florida, most people see theme parks, palm trees, and smiling tourists. But beyond the postcard-perfect surface lies a harsher reality. With violent crime rates well above the national average, law enforcement officers in this region often face a daily onslaught of trauma that most civilians can’t imagine.

Donna Michaels, a retired sheriff’s deputy, has lived that reality, and paid a deep personal price for her years of service.

“I thought I was built for it,” Donna shares. “But nothing prepares you for the kind of trauma that sinks in and never lets go.”

A Case That Changed Everything

Throughout her career with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Donna responded to some of the worst scenes imaginable. But one case remains etched in her memory.

A teenage girl had been found wandering the streets in a drug-induced haze, her body bruised, marked with graffiti, and evidence of a brutal gang sexual assault.

“One of the suspects was her own brother,” Donna recalls. “And the mother? She actively obstructed the investigation.”

The case eventually stalled, but the trauma lingered long after. Donna carried it home, long after she took off her badge.

“We were up against walls no amount of law enforcement training could break through,” she explains. “And when the badge came off, I realized the trauma had followed me.”

The Hidden Burden Behind the Badge

What Donna experienced is called cumulative PTSD, a type of post-traumatic stress disorder that builds slowly over time. Unlike a single traumatic event, this kind of PTSD creeps in after repeated exposure to stress and horror.

“Every time I thought I’d moved past it, the memories came rushing back,” she says. “We don’t talk enough about what happens after the uniform comes off.”

That silence, the one so many veterans and first responders live with became something Donna could no longer accept.

From Private Pain to Public Truth

Determined to break the stigma, Donna began sharing her journey on social media, on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. She wasn’t looking for attention. She was looking for connection.

“I was flooded with messages,” she says. “Other officers, veterans, even civilians. People who felt the same way but didn’t know how to say it out loud.”

Her story resonated so strongly that she decided to put it all into words. The result was Courageously Broken, her memoir that recounts her path from a traumatic childhood to the Navy, to law enforcement, and ultimately, to recovery.

“I didn’t write it to be a guidebook,” Donna explains. “I wrote it so people would know they’re not alone.”

Building Something Bigger: Heroes United To Heal

But Donna didn’t stop there.

Moved by the response to her story, she founded Heroes United To Heal, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing what she calls “Hero Suicide.”

“Too many of us are suffering in silence,” she says. “The same people who run toward danger often won’t admit when they’re struggling. That has to change.”

Heroes United To Heal funds treatment options often denied by the VA or insurance, including equine therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and healing retreats.

“We don’t just raise awareness,” Donna adds. “We fund solutions. Bureaucracy shouldn’t be a death sentence.”

A Call for Systemic Change

The Orange County Sheriff's Office employs more than 2,700 people and operates on a budget of over $300 million. While the agency is large and well-resourced, Donna believes more still needs to be done to support the mental health of those who serve.

“Leadership matters,” she says. “But so does listening, really listening, to what your deputies carry with them.”

She’s proud of the years she spent in law enforcement, but she admits the hardest and most important work began after retirement.

Still Fighting, Just in a Different Way

Today, Donna is a public speaker, advocate, and guest on podcasts like the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show. Her episode, which goes into detail about her journey through trauma and recovery, is available for free on their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other streaming platforms.

“I’m still healing,” she says. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely ‘done.’ But I’ve come a long way from where I was.”

She hopes others will follow the path she’s helped clear.

“We are not weak. We are not broken. We are warriors with battle scars.”

More Than Just a Crime Story

In a media world that thrives on arrests, chase footage, and front-page headlines, Donna Michaels’ story is a vital reminder: the aftermath matters too. Not every wound bleeds. Not every trauma ends in court. And not every hero gets to walk away unscathed.

Her message? Healing is possible, but it starts with honest conversations, real resources, and the courage to speak up.

To hear more of Donna’s story, listen to the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show, also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most major podcast platforms.

You can also follow Donna’s journey and support The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on their:

    Facebook

    Instagram

    LinkedIn

    Medium

For anyone battling PTSD, whether in uniform or out, Donna’s story is a beacon: You are not alone. And there is a way forward.