WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT – WOUNDED WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT Photos and article courtesy of Wounded Warrior Project.

Sarah Wade rattles off her to-do list like any other married woman trying to find time. You might expect squeezing in a haircut or meeting a friend for coffee, but Sarah’s list is different. She’s trying to find time to write an email to an admiral on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, draft an appeal for her husband’s medical review board, coordinate medical referrals for insurance approval, check in with an amputee case manager, pack for an adaptive ski trip, and still get her husband to his many medical appointments.

Life for Sarah and her husband Ted hasn’t followed the typical storybook ever-after. While they were dating, Ted’s Army unit was sent to Afghanistan in 2002, and then to Iraq in 2003. On Valentine’s Day 2004, Ted’s unit was part of a convoy in Iraq. Although most of the convoy passed unharmed, an improvised explosive device (IED) hit Ted’s humvee.

The blast amputated Ted’s arm and caused many injuries, including brain damage that put Ted in a coma. Doctors transferred Ted to a specialized civilian hospital in Germany, initially refusing to send him back to the States, believing that he would never survive the trip. Ted surprised doctors by living through surgery and becoming stable enough to transfer to Walter Reed Hospital, where he spent three months in a coma. Doctors never expected Ted to wake up.

Three years after his injury, Ted continues to surprise doctors. Not only did he wake from the coma, but he also regained the ability to walk and speak. Sarah, Ted’s constant companion at Walter Reed, supervised his care and campaigned for the best treatment available. Despite the grave prognosis, Sarah refused to believe doctors’ predictions. The week Ted was finally released from the hospital, the couple married.

Ted and Sarah credit much of Ted’s recovery to their never-ending quest for the best treatment and their refusal to give up. After Ted’s injury, Sarah put school on hold to be a full-time care-giver and advocate. She continues to endlessly appeal treatment decisions to get the best specialists to continue Ted’s rehabilitation.

“Ted was injured three years ago, and he’s still making improvements. Until that starts to slow down, we’re not slowing down,” Sarah says. “Take every prognosis with a grain of salt. Don’t give up on a loved one too soon.” At the same time, Sarah cautions family caregivers to pace themselves.

“The battle is always going to be there. People tend to be frantic. The most difficult part is the uncertainty in knowing what the future will be like. There’s a terrible fear, and part of the urgency to get them into rehabilitation quickly is because you want to know what will happen. I think a lot of people believe that if they miss even a moment, then that person is not ever going to get better— that this is your one chance, and if you don’t seize the moment, then it will pass you by. There’s a danger in pushing yourself and your loved one too hard early on. This is a long haul, and no one’s a super hero. The best thing you can do for your family member is take care of yourself, because they need you to stay in the fight, too.”

In addition to working on recovery full-time, Ted and Sarah have teamed up with Wounded Warrior Project to bring attention to veterans coping with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Sarah’s hoping that by sharing their story, they can help improve the situation for others who face the never-ending complexities of life after a brain injury. Sarah explains, “There’s a big feeling of isolation for TBI patients. People need to know that they’re not alone.”

I didn’t ask Rob Laurent if he could leap tall buildings with a single bound, but later I wondered if maybe I should have. Even if I had, I suspect I would have gotten nothing more than a perplexed silence. To Rob, it’s perfectly obvious that you’d hit the ground running after losing an eye and part of a hand–you’d naturally come up with a million new things to take on, re-enroll in school, and never slow down for a second. It wasn’t until later that I started thinking about how difficult it could be to adjust to life after a serious injury. Talking to Rob, you can easily believe that you don’t have to be Superman to do anything you set your mind to.

Rob joined the Army shortly after high school, enlisting as a tank armor crewman, even before September 11 mobilized so many. During his service, Rob spent time at Fort Hood and in Germany, before his unit was transferred to Iraq. On Christmas Eve of 2004, an improvised explosive device (IED) ended Rob’s time in Iraq. The blast left Rob missing his right eye and part of his left hand and with many shrapnel wounds on his legs. Rob was first transferred to Landstuhl, Germany for three weeks. Once he could be transferred back to the States, he spent a month at Walter Reed, and then five additional months at Brooke Army Medical Center.

These days, Rob’s a busy man. The 24-year-old juggles family, school, and a multitude of other activities. Rob’s currently a senior at Texas State University, majoring in criminal justice. After finishing his bachelor’s, he’s planning to continue on to graduate school, ultimately hoping to work for a federal agency. He also recently received a scholarship from Able Flight to lean to fly a plane and earn his sport pilot license. Rob is working on ground school and will take flight training this summer. Somehow Rob still finds to get involved with dirt-bike motorcross and spend time with his wife, Briley, and his two young sons.

When asked his secret to transitioning so gracefully to life after injury, Rob seems surprised by the question. “It doesn’t seem too tough. You get used to your disabilities. I don’t find myself feeling like it’s too terribly tough doing what I’m doing. It just doesn’t seem that bad. You get used to it–your body adapts.”

Rob admits that he wasn’t always so upbeat. “When I was in the hospital, I remember that there was guy who came up to me and told me about some of the things we could do once we got out. I was just kinda angry and ticked off. I didn’t want to hear it. But once I got out of the hospital and started getting involved in some of these projects, it got much better.”

“There are lots of opportunities out there for disabled veterans. When I was first injured, I had to go out and do a lot of research of my own to figure out what I was eligible for. There’s a lot more now. There are trips to go biking or even skiing. You name it and there’s somebody out there who’s willing to pay for you to do it. When you do stuff like that, it’s well worth the effort to find a program. As long as you stay busy, it’s never too hard.”

The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization aimed at assisting those men and women of the United States armed forces who have been severely injured during the global war on terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other spots around the world. Beginning at the bedside of the severely wounded, WWP provides programs and services designated to ease the burdens of these heroes and their families, aid in the recovery process and smooth the transition back to civilian life. The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors. For more information, please call 877-TEAM-WWP (832-6997) or visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.