Our Story Newby-Ginnings of North Idaho, Inc.
My son, SPC Nicholas Newby enlisted in the Idaho National Guard in 2008 and was deployed to Iraq with his unit in 2010. Nick was 10 months into his 12-month deployment on July 7, 2011 when a very powerful roadside bomb, known as an EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator) was detonated next to the Humvee that he, Nathan and Jason were in. On that Thursday, we went to work, came home, had dinner and enjoyed the warm evening.
That was the day two uniformed military personnel came to our house, read us their script and stood helplessly by as our world shattered into a million pieces.
I did return to my job as a Registered Nurse with the State of Idaho about 2 months after losing Nick. But I was completely changed. Grief of that magnitude has a way of seeping into your DNA and changing you on a cellular level. Being Nick’s mother defined me. Losing him defined me as well. And I had to do something with that.
I left my job with the State and sat on the couch for about a year and half and thought hard about what I was going to do with this new life without my son. During that time, a lot of Nick’s friends and battle buddies were struggling. They were struggling with PTSD, TBI, financial and relationship problems. And they were calling me. And I thought . . . that’s what I can do. I can start a program that helps these young men and women that are struggling after deployment.
Newby-ginnings of North Idaho, Inc. was born in the car. My mom and I were driving on 1-90 on a sunny summer day about a year after Nick was killed. I was explaining to her that I wanted to start a non-profit in Nick’s name. An organization that would be based in the community that he loved and would assist his brothers that came home. She said the name. “Newby-ginnings.” I could see it instantly. I was stunned. It was perfect. I spoke about Newby-ginnings for about a year, about my plans, my dream. I would write down the name and slide it across the table to the person I was talking to. I watched their face as what I had written registered in their mind. A gasp usually followed, along with misty eyes. “It’s perfect” they would always say. “How can I be involved?” “What can I do to help?” “When are you going to make this happen?”
With the help, love and support of my husband, family and friends, we made it happen. In a short amount of time, the idea had flourished and the mission expanded to include families of the fallen, those that have served and those that are continuing to serve our country. Newby-ginnings has given me an opportunity to do something good with our unfathomable loss. It is providing me with pride and purpose. I am still Nick’s mom.
Like Alice through the looking glass, I unwillingly stepped into a strange new world without my son. I can never go back. So I will take this strength, that I didn’t know that I had, and I will turn it into something remarkable.
I will turn it into a new beginning.
Theresa Hart