COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — A Colorado Springs widow whose husband was killed in the line of duty will serve as the keynote speaker at a fundraising gala next month for a nonprofit that supports the children of fallen military members and first responders.
Rachael Flick lost her husband, El Paso County Sheriff's Office Detective Micah Flick, in 2018 when he was shot and killed during an auto theft investigation.
The couple's twins, Levi and Eliana, were seven years old when their father died. Eight years later, Rachael said community support, including from the Colorado Springs-based nonprofit Angels of America's Fallen, has helped her family find resilience in the face of grief.
"I know this sounds grandiose, but Micah was the son of Colorado Springs," Rachael said. "He was born and raised here. He played football for his school. He was a leader from the beginning. He was chosen as the team leader for his class through the academy."
Rachael said she later learned from his colleagues just how much he was respected.
"I didn't know this while he lived, but I heard from his bosses and peers at the sheriff's office that he had kind of this reputation as the golden boy of the sheriff's office because he did things with so much integrity," Rachael said. "He would lose sleep at night wanting to have justice for victims."
Angels of America's Fallen works with families of fallen military members and first responders to cover the cost of after-school activities for their children, including interests like hockey, art, and music.
The nonprofit recently began covering the cost of activities for Levi and Eliana after the family spent five years on the waitlist.
Rachael said play has been a critical part of her children's healing.
"I think one of the things I've learned is a key element of healing is play," Rachael said. "A lot of kids want to just continue what they've been doing, if they were into sports or an activity, they want to keep going. Maybe they have a little break, but that's a sense of normalcy. It's their ability to step outside of their grief. They can go to practice, and it's not about their dad that died."
She also said the timeline for grief is often misunderstood.
"We have this misconception that you need about a year to get through grief," Rachael said. "The reality is that we begin to rebuild our lives after loss for three to five years, and that if it's a traumatic, tragic loss like mine or like a line of duty death, that can take seven to 12 years."
Rachael said one of the things that sets Angels of America's Fallen apart is its long-term commitment to the families it serves. Once the organization takes on a family, it covers the cost of activities for each child until they turn 19.
"If you want to see children come through that into a future where they are able to function as adults, to have strong mental health, to have healthy relationships, you have to walk with them through the entire 18 years, and that's one of the things Angels does that's so unique compared to another organization," Rachael said.
As her family continues to receive support, Rachael said she is committed to sharing what she has learned with others who are grieving.
"By sharing those experiences with other people and the gifts, the pearls of wisdom that I've gained and all the tools that I've gotten through thousands of hours of my own therapy, I want to give that away so that people don't have to hurt without help," Rachael said.
Rachael will share her story at the Angels of America's Fallen Angel Gala on Saturday, April 18, in Colorado Springs. Ticket information is available here.
More than 700 families across the country are currently on the waitlist to be sponsored by Angels of America's Fallen, including 36 families in Colorado. You can support those families by attending this year's Angel Gala or by donating your time, money, or talents to the cause.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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