Neuro Note #1

For my first neuro note, I decided to watch the 2007 documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq."  This documentary gives the first-person accounts of numerous veterans who survived traumatic and life-threatening injuries while serving in Iraq.  Each of these veterans refers to the day they almost died while defending our country as their "alive day."  Each of their alive days is as equally important to them as their birthdays.  This day for them was the day they survived and chose to live despite the terror they experienced while serving in Iraq.  I chose this documentary so that I could hear each of the individuals describe their alive day, as well as their experiences after sustaining the injury.  Not only did I get to hear them tell their stories, I also gained a deeper appreciation for the sacrifice all military members make to defend our country and the liberties we have been given.  

Many of the veterans underwent amputations of at least one limb, but many of them also endured traumatic brain injuries.  Here are some of their stories shared in the documentary... 

The first veteran to tell his story was Eddie Ryan.  At the time of his injury, he was a 22 year old Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps working as part of a Sniper Team.  On April 13, 2005 (his alive day), Sgt. Ryan sustained 2 bullets to his head causing him to endure a severe TBI.  The impact to his brain and body made him unrecognizable.  His mother stated that the only way to tell he was her son was by his distinguishable tattoos.  He had tremendous damage to his frontal lobe, which in turn affected his ability to control his emotions, behavior, and personality.  He is still able to comprehend language and occasionally respond, but his response time takes a little longer than normal.  His mother stated that the changes in his personality are evident, but he still remains very similar to who he was before the injury.  During the interview, it was also clear that he occasionally struggled to control his behavior and outbursts.  Despite his injury, Sgt. Ryan is still tremendously proud of his service and refuses to wear any hats or clothing that cover the scars he has from the numerous surgeries.  Pictured below on the left is Sgt. Ryan and his mother. 

The next veteran is Dawn Halfaker.  She was 27 years old on her alive day.  She served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the 293rd Military Police.  Her alive day is June 19, 2004.  First Lt. Halfaker had a bomb go directly through her right arm and shoulder and explode.  She was placed in a medically-induced coma for 10 days to eliminate the possibility of further brain injury.  Her right arm and shoulder were amputated.  First Lt. Halfaker has had trouble adjusting to the loss of her arm and wearing prosthetics.  However, she has many hopes to one day have a family and children that will love the new version of her she became after her alive day. 

The last story I want to share was told by Jay Wilkerson.  At the time of his injury, he was a 41-year-old Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army in the Multinational Security Command.  His alive day is March 28, 2006.  Staff Sgt. Wilkerson was in a humvee that drove over a bomb and exploded.  He had a large piece of shrapnel pierce his left cheek at an upward angle and go directly into his brain.  He was in a coma for 12 days due to his closed head TBI.  He stated that on occasion he feels like he is a "6 year old in a man's body" because he struggles to remember his own son's name.  He also stated that since his TBI, he sometimes feels stupid and like he lost.  He attends numerous therapy sessions each week to work on improving his cognition, independence, and ability to contribute within his family. 

Each of these veterans are true American heroes and have each made tremendous sacrifices to defend people who don't understand the depth of their commitment to our country.  While watching this documentary, I learned that more than 1/3 of all wounded soldiers from Iraq suffer traumatic brain injuries.  Additionally, as of September 2007, there had been 27,506 men and women that were injured in the war.  I can only imagine how much that number has grown in the 11 years since.  

This documentary provided me with such a unique viewpoint of what these veterans have endured since each of their alive days when trying to adjust to their new lives post-injury.  It takes an overwhelming amount of courage to defend our country, but it takes even more courage to have the strength to overcome such vast injuries from doing so.  I recommend watching this documentary to anyone who wishes to gain insight into the daily battles and firsthand accounts of veterans with war injuries.