Warrior's Garden
By Lynn Wachtler RN, FNP-BC, CMCS
Warning: This article mentions suicide. Reader discretion is advised.
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but Nick Rahn of Warrior’s Garden bets on laughter as the best medicine. Patch Adams knew it, Freud explored it in his 1905 book, "Jokes and Their Relation to The Unconscious," and even The Bible mentions there is a time to laugh.
Air Force Veteran Nick Rahn takes laughter as medicine seriously. So seriously, he built a comedy club inside his dispensary, Warrior’s Garden, which opened in downtown St. Paul last year on April 1st, 2024. It’s a place of connection, camaraderie, and hope—especially for fellow veterans.
Crisis intervention work is deeply personal for Nick. From a young age, he felt driven to help others. His positive experiences with law enforcement after his mother sustained significant injuries in a snowmobile accident inspired him to join the military on what he had hoped would be the quickest path to becoming a police officer. He served six years with the Security Forces, including two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
While on patrol on January 6th, 2010, he responded to a call that altered the trajectory of his life. A veteran had attempted suicide. First to arrive, he provided comfort as the veteran passed. He buried the experience and completed his tour. He was discharged from the service in 2012, and upon returning home, he found that he had no real plan or purpose.
He began using alcohol and was struggling to find direction. By the following year, though, he signed with the Minnesota State Patrol and worked as a dispatcher. Taking “suicide calls” was part of his job, and he found he could quickly establish a connection with those in crisis, talking with them until help arrived. He was good at his job and developed a conversational process that saved lives.
Many of our veterans, or others with ideation or a plan to take their own life, do not reach out. Over time, Nick’s PTSD worsened, and he found himself trying to cope with unresolved trauma. In 2015, Nick, as well, nearly became a grim statistic—one of the 22 veterans who die by suicide each day. “The gun didn’t go off. I got lucky.” He’s open about his attempt, and by sharing his story, he hopes to help others.
Healing and recovery is a process that takes time, resources, and connection. VSOs, or Veterans Service Officers, are critical connectors to accessing those essential recovery resources for veterans like Nick. They helped him access Veterans Affairs (VA) services, where he began receiving the professional help he needed. Independently, he began to explore Buddhism and meditation and read dozens of books—resonating with Viktor Frankl’s "Man’s Search For Meaning" and "The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer, for example.
Nick’s experience with cannabis and other holistic therapies is similar to many who have explored cannabis as medicine to treat his PTSD. He notes cannabis eased some of his symptoms, and he’s experienced fewer side effects than with traditional pharmaceuticals.
He worked on his physical health by training and competing in Mixed Martial Arts until retiring in 2018. Nick methodically took steps forward, adopting a more proactive and positive approach to dealing with life’s circumstances, noting, “I can find the funny in anything.” By 2019, he was more comfortable sharing his story and began giving motivational speeches.
That same year, he started the non-profit Warrior’s Next Adventure, which helps veterans find purpose and meaning. Services include one-on-one peer support, a 24/7 crisis hotline, and an annual expenses-paid mountain climbing trip to Colorado for veterans.
Over time, he developed and formalized his own six-principle guide for living and, in his free moments, has been working on a book. He quickly points out that he is not a therapist but rather a good “primer” to get someone to open up and talk. With Nick’s incredible life experiences, he understands firsthand how cannabis can help. He is a serial survivor.
In 2021, Nick faced another significant challenge. He found a mass and was subsequently diagnosed with testicular cancer, which primarily affects young men. Due to occupational exposures during service, some veterans may have higher than normal risks for certain cancers. The VA considers specific cancer types as service-related. The recent PACT Act expanded VA health care, providing additional benefits for veterans facing similar health challenges.
Nick was able to access care through the VA and underwent successful surgery. Today, he is cancer-free. Not long after his cancer recovery, Nick continued his advocacy work with three fellow veterans, embarking on a 3000-mile journey of rowing across the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. In what is known as The World’s Toughest Row, the goal of Nick’s crew, Team Fight Or Die, was to raise awareness for veterans struggling with mental health conditions.
A few hundred miles out, stormy weather and rough seas caused them to drift far south and off course. A massive 40-foot wave struck the craft, causing it to capsize. In the cabin, Nick had sustained a blow to the head and was unable to free himself as the water rose. Facing the possibility of death and thinking of all the things he still wanted to do, Nick firmly committed to living. His teammate Chad was able to help free him, and working together, the group managed to launch the life raft and began sending SOS signals.
Nine hundred miles off the coast of Africa and 18 hours later, they were picked up by a Dutch freighter. Their epic survival story, which will air this spring in the documentary, "Defying Death On the Atlantic," continues to garner local and national attention, and Nick continues to inspire with his motivational speaking engagements.
The 2019 report by the Minnesota Department of Health, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Patients In the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: Experiences of Enrollees During the First Five Months, reveals many PTSD patients experienced a substantial benefit. The report also details responses to the Healthcare Practitioner-Perceived Benefit survey, which are generally positive. Side effects reported by clinicians and patients were of low degrees of severity. Both groups reported cost and accessibility concerns. (MDH.gov)
Nick first conceptualized the idea of opening his own dispensary while doing some carpentry work on a shop that was opening in the hemp market. Besides the need for veteran connection, he visualized a path for increased funding, exposure, and services for his non-profit Warrior’s Next Adventure with capital donations generated by the dispensaries. His retail application has moved forward in the current Minnesota license lottery.
Comedy is a natural fit for the Warrior’s Garden. Josh Lee, who also served in the Minnesota National Guard and was a Cavalry Scout in the Army, has worked in personal security detail since and now manages the day-to-day operations of Nick’s dispensary.
Nick and Josh have natural chemistry and easy banter, making difficult topics like those that came before Warrior’s Garden and the non-profit seem more approachable. When Josh gets up to attend to a customer during the interview, Nick quickly gives him much of the credit for the business and non-profit’s success. Despite their experiences and struggles post-deployment, they can laugh together. And that’s why comedy is so important. It’s healing via community.
The Warrior’s Garden Hemp & Wellness shop hosts comedy showcases and open mic nights on Thursdays. It’s a unique and informal place to hang out for conversation, support, and a chance to receive additional pet therapy and feline attention from rescue cats Odin and Loki.
To learn more visit www.warriorsgarden.org.
If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, you are not alone: Dial or text 988.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available nationwide to those in distress, offering 24/7 confidential access free of charge. Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect to the Veterans Crisis Line, and Spanish-speaking counselors can be reached by pressing “2” or texting “AYUDA.” LGBTQI+ affirming counselors can also be accessed by texting “PRIDE.”
