HunterSeven Foundation

Directions Website

HunterSeven Foundation We serve and support Post-9/11 military veterans with medical illnesses, and cancers through evidence Whatever it takes to save as many lives as possible.

We serve and support Post-9/11 military veterans with medical illnesses, and cancers through evidence-based research, clinical education, and immediate needs and medical care support.

Marines from 3/4 share a meal with local Iraqis in Haditha and discuss security for the upcoming elections in June 2008....
10/09/2026

Marines from 3/4 share a meal with local Iraqis in Haditha and discuss security for the upcoming elections in June 2008.

In many of the Middle Eastern nations, offering tea, food, and hospitality toward guests and strangers is a part of many communities, and is way of demonstrating goodwill, respect, trust and friendship.

Refusing could be perceived as disrespectful, especially if resources are scarce… so, many who’ve served and worked within the local population, have at some point, shared a meal or a cup of tea with the locals.

One of the first preventable (and treatable) infections to cause cancer is: HELICOBACTER PYLORI, also known as h.pylori.

And while h.pylori is not a concern in first world countries like the United States, it is very common and quite prevalent in nations like Afghanistan and Iraq due to the lack of resources, sanitation standards and hand hygiene practices, on top of how easily transmitted the infection is.

One way is through shared eating/drinking practices, and microscopic f***l contamination (contaminated cups, utensils, surfaces, hands, food, etc.)

Our gut microbiome as Americans is tame, and cannot handle the diversity of the Middle East (which explains the GI issues the first few weeks in country). An active h.pylori infection can show no, any or all of the symptoms:

- Bloating
- Frequent burping
- Acid reflux
- Iron-deficiency anemia
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- GI pattern changes

The iron-deficiency anemia is important.

Iron-deficiency anemia can be a clue that the body is either losing iron, sometimes through ulcer-related, slow GI bleeding, or not absorbing enough iron to keep up with its needs. In those with an active h.pylori, both mechanisms can occur.

If left untreated long-term, these can escalate into gastric cancer / MALT lymphoma.

Most importantly, if properly identified and treated (yes, this infection is easily treatable), the gastric cancer risk decreases significantly.

Having odd and ongoing symptoms surrounding gut health? Ask your provider about a urea breath test or a GI Map. Find the root cause, fix the problem.

Today, we honor the life, service, and legacy of Special Operator Josh Rowson, who passed away three years ago today fol...
10/07/2026

Today, we honor the life, service, and legacy of Special Operator Josh Rowson, who passed away three years ago today following a brief battle with lung cancer.

Josh was a proud Alaskan, a place he called home before enlisting in the Army in 1993 as an infantryman. He spent his early years of service at Fort Campbell and in Hohenfels, Germany, before being selected to attend Special Forces Assessment and Selection. After completing the demanding Special Forces pipeline, Josh earned the coveted Green Beret and joined 1st SFG(A) as a Special Forces engineer. He went on to become a Special Forces combat diver, dive supervisor, nautical navigator, and graduate of the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course. Shortly after the wars in the Middle East began, Josh was assigned to 5th SFG(A), where he continued deploying overseas.

In 2006, Josh carried his service forward with the Washington Army National Guard and 19th SFG(A). He completed the Special Forces Warrant Officer technical and tactical training required to become a warrant officer, eventually serving as both assistant detachment commander and detachment commander of ODA 9112, as well as the company operations warrant officer for ODB 9110.

During this time, Josh also worked as an independent contractor in support of the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) and other government agencies.

He ultimately returned to 1st SFG(A), where he completed his career as a company warrant officer. Josh retired in 2020 after 27 years of service and 12 deployments across the Middle East and Asia.

Twenty-seven years.
Twelve deployments.
A lifetime spent in service to others.
Only three years after retiring, just forty-eight years old, lung cancer took Josh. That deserves more than a passing thought...

Josh is survived by his wife, retired Navy Captain Jennifer Pontius, his best friend, fellow Green Beret, Joe Kent, and the many brothers-in-arms he considered family. God bless you, Josh. DOL.

Three years ago today, we lost MSG AJ LaPanna. Today, we remember his life, his service, and the years he should have ha...
10/02/2026

Three years ago today, we lost MSG AJ LaPanna. Today, we remember his life, his service, and the years he should have had ahead of him, and most importantly, we pray for his wife and children.

AJ… callsign “ANARCHY” retired from the Army in 2016 after 23 years of service. As a Green Beret, he deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller. He spoke Arabic and Dari and was twice awarded the Bronze Star for his actions during combat operations.

After retiring from the Army, AJ continued serving his community with the Middleboro Police Department, where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant.

In April 2021, AJ was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic head and neck cancer. He underwent a neck dissection to remove 38 lymph nodes, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Less than a year later, in March 2022, doctors found a nodule in his right lung. A biopsy confirmed that the cancer had spread to his right lower lobe.

AJ passed away on October 1, 2023.

Twenty-three years in uniform. Multiple combat deployments. Continued service to his community. There should have been so much more time after all of that.

When we talk about cancer in our veteran community, we’re talking about people like AJ. Their lives, their families, and futures cut short. That’s what we carry into this work every day.

Today, we honor AJ and keep his family, friends, teammates, and fellow officers in our hearts. DOL, Anarchy ⚔️🇺🇸

For 25 years, Master Gunnery Sergeant Ricardo Gaeta served our nation with honor, courage, and loyalty. 🇺🇸This past Tues...
08/30/2026

For 25 years, Master Gunnery Sergeant Ricardo Gaeta served our nation with honor, courage, and loyalty. 🇺🇸

This past Tuesday, after a six-year battle with a rare and aggressive cancer, Ricardo passed away at home, with his wife Tiffany and his family by his side.

He was only 47.

Ricardo endured more than most people ever should. From surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, pain, setbacks, and exhaustion… but somehow, he still made room for other people. He smiled. He asked how you were doing. He loved deeply.

And maybe that is what his life reminds us most.

Be present.

Put the phone down.
Sit a little longer.
Say “I love you” more often.
Forgive faster.
Make the call.
Take the trip.
Hug your people.

We spend so much of life assuming there will be more time.

Sometimes there isn’t.

Ricardo’s life was defined by service, family, love, and the people he showed up for every single day.

To Tiffany and the Gaeta family, we are heartbroken with you, and no matter what, we will ALWAYS be here for you.

To Erin & Nikki, Joey, Roy, and Keith… thanks to each of you who made Ricardo know what it means to be a part of the HunterSeven family 💙

Semper Fi, Marine 🇺🇸❤️

VITAMIN D IS MORE THAN A “BONE VITAMIN.”Vitamin D plays a role in immune function, inflammation, cell growth and program...
08/20/2026

VITAMIN D IS MORE THAN A “BONE VITAMIN.”

Vitamin D plays a role in immune function, inflammation, cell growth and programmed cell death… all processes that matter when we talk about long-term health and cancer biology.

A 2023 review found that low circulating Vitamin D has been associated with increased cancer risk and poorer outcomes across several cancer types.

🩸Know your number: Vitamin D deficiency is generally considered a 25(OH)D level below 20 ng/mL.

☀️ Optimal is upwards of 50 ng/mL.

For our military and veteran community, this deserves attention. Vitamin deficiencies have been documented across military populations, and many veterans also live with chronic GI problems, prior GI surgeries or other conditions that can interfere with nutrient absorption.

Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so problems with fat absorption can make maintaining adequate levels difficult.

And that is the important part:

If your Vitamin D stays low despite supplementation, don’t just keep taking more, ask WHY.

Low Vitamin D does not mean you have cancer, and Vitamin D is not a cancer treatment. But persistent deficiency can be an important piece of the larger health picture.

Check it.
Correct it.
Recheck it.

And if it stays low, look for the root cause.

Whole health isn’t just treating an abnormal lab, it is understanding why it became abnormal in the first place.

Seraphin et al. (2023)
Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2023.106308

Yew et al. (2026)
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1903301

Retired Green Beret, Sergeant Major Joey Muramoto spent his life serving, leading, and looking out for the men beside hi...
08/17/2026

Retired Green Beret, Sergeant Major Joey Muramoto spent his life serving, leading, and looking out for the men beside him.

Cancer took him far too soon.

Now, we want to honor Joey by doing exactly what he would have wanted us to do: take care of his teammates.

Collectively, with the blessing of his wife, a few organizations are raising funds to provide comprehensive cancer screening for 100 of Joey’s fellow Special Operators and teammates in his memory, beginning the day before his funeral in Draper, Utah on 28 August.

🇺🇸 Donate using this link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/cancer-screening-in-memory-of-joey

These are men who have spent decades exposed to burn pits, airborne hazards, chemicals, radiation, fuels, solvents, and countless other occupational exposures, often without realizing what may be developing inside their bodies.

We cannot change what happened to Joey. But we can make damn sure we learn from it.

Help us screen his brothers. Help us find cancer earlier. Help us give someone else the chance Joey deserved.

This one is for Joey. And for every teammate still standing beside us. 🇺🇸

We all know that traumatic brain injury is not always an isolated injury to the brain, especially when it is repeated.Mo...
08/10/2026

We all know that traumatic brain injury is not always an isolated injury to the brain, especially when it is repeated.

More importantly (and what many do not know) is that repetitive blast exposure can trigger changes across the brain, immune system, nervous system and gut, and some of those changes may persist long after the initial exposure as a result of the inflammatory response rush.

Researchers from the University of Washington and Puget Sound VA studying repetitive blast-TBI found:

• Neuroinflammation was still present 3 months after repetitive blast exposure.

• Blast caused a significant inflammatory response throughout the body and brain.

• The gut microbiome changed within hours of injury (Leaky gut, IBS-like sx. etc.)

• Blast-exposed subjects developed increased risk-taking and alcohol-seeking behavior later on.

• Most interestingly, early vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) blunted key inflammatory signals after repetitive blast-TBI and reduced some of those later behavioral changes.

Why does this matter?

Because the vagus nerve (CN X) is one of the primary communication pathways between the brain, immune system, heart and gut. And it may represent a completely different way of approaching the secondary injury that happens after a blast, not simply treating symptoms months or years later.

This doesn’t mean VNS will fix all your problems, but it does mean we need to stop viewing TBI as something that happens once, inside the skull, and then ends.

The injury may be neurological. The consequences are systemic.

Save this one. Because VNS devices like nuropod / gammacore / pulsetto and nurosym could be a cost-effective game-changer for neuroinflammation and the gut-brain axis in TBI research 🧠

📸: Clandestine Media Group

Today, we honor more than a warfighter who fought cancer. We honor a pioneer who changed military aviation forever.LtCol...
08/09/2026

Today, we honor more than a warfighter who fought cancer. We honor a pioneer who changed military aviation forever.

LtCol. Deb Lee, USAF (Ret.) served from 1991 to 2015. In 1997, she became the first female B-1 bomber pilot in history, earning her place in a community built around one of the most powerful and demanding aircraft in the United States arsenal.

She went on to deploy repeatedly, flying hundreds of combat missions in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And she made history again.

While deployed to Joint Base Balad, Iraq in 2009, Deb became the first woman to command a remotely piloted aircraft squadron, leading the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron (46 ERAS). Her career would later include missions supporting the President and Vice President of the United States aboard Air Force One and Air Force Two.

She spent nearly 25 years serving, leading, flying, and proving that the barriers in front of her were meant to be broken.

Then, at 54, Deb was diagnosed with metastatic and on August 7, 2024, she died at just 56 years old.

Deb Lee was a combat aviator.
A commander.
A trailblazer.
A mother.
A woman who opened doors that had never been opened before, and made the path wider for every woman who followed.

Today, we remember the fight that took her.

But more importantly, we remember the life, service, courage, and history that came before it.

Fly high, Spoofer 🇺🇸

The Wound That Speaks.They pin a medal onfor bleeding. But no one decorates you for what bleeds after.Viktor Frankl wrot...
08/08/2026

The Wound That Speaks.

They pin a medal onfor bleeding.
But no one decorates you for what bleeds after.

Viktor Frankl wrote that suffering ceases to be suffering the moment it finds a meaning.

The Purple Heart is supposed to be that meaning made metal, proof that pain was purchased for something.

But a medal cannot answer the question asked in the middle of the night: “why did I live when they didn’t?”

Dr. Thomas Joiner taught us that people die when two beliefs collide: first, that they are a burden, and second, that they belong nowhere.

Here is the cruel irony of the Purple Heart: the wound that earned it can whisper both lies at once.

The injury that makes you feel like a burden.
The discharge that takes away your tribe.

But Frankl also said this: those who have a why can bear almost any how.

The medal doesn’t give the wounds meaning, YOU do, every morning, choose to carry it forward instead of letting it carry you down.

The Purple Heart isn’t an award for being wounded. It’s a reminder that you are still here to be one thing a medal can never be: purposeful and present.

💜

Address

306 Thayer Street, #2694
Providence, RI
02906

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 10pm
Tuesday 6am - 10pm
Wednesday 6am - 10pm
Thursday 6am - 10pm
Friday 6am - 10pm
Saturday 6am - 10pm
Sunday 6am - 10pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when HunterSeven Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share