Injured Female Veteran and Cancer Survivor Gifted York HVAC System
MILWAUKEE — Amen Air Inc. and York Factory Direct partnered with Building Homes for Heroes during a welcome home ceremony in Lutz, Florida, for Army Staff Sergeant Mylee Cardenas. Cardenas joined the military following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, citing her devastation over what occurred as her inspiration to serve. While deployed in Afghanistan, Cardenas found a lump on her breast but did not seek medical attention, as she did not want to abandon her all-female unit and their mission. Upon her arrival home, she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
Now cancer-free, Cardenas is tackling a variety of other missions. She previously worked as a contributing photojournalist for major media outlets. In her role, she returned to war zones to help shed light on the conflicts that affected the areas. Cardenas is a single mother to her 16-year-old daughter, Brianna, and she hopes to adopt more children she met through her former job as a caseworker. Cardenas also is a master’s degree student, public speaker, veteran’s activist, health and fitness coach, model, and actor.