My Wounded Warrior Family Selected For The Give Good Program

It was extremely hard for me to pick one person to receive the Gift of Good sponsored by Home Depot. I am one of those people that feels guilty when I can't help everyone. We had some amazing heroes apply but I selected a young wounded warrior and his wife. Their story touched me for many reasons, here is their story.

Nick was a flight engineer on chinook in the 160th SOAR special operations unit in the Army from 2001-2010. He loved his job. He volunteered for all his deployments, which ended up being 7 times to Iraq and Afghanistan. This was his career. Nick was part of Operation Redwing, where 16, 160th soldier and Navy Seals were killed when their chinook was shot down. Nick was part of the team to recover the bodies of his best friends. This was very hard for him. He remembers all of it and has visions of this horrible experience. This was very hard for his wife, Mary as well. When the information was on the news that one of their helicopters were shot down, Mary knew there was a one in four chance it was her husband. Mary had to wait three days to get word on the names of the soldiers that were in the crash. That was the longest three days of her life.

Nick deployed after the incident, and this time he was not so lucky. He was on a mission to pick up some Special Forces troops in the mountains of Afghanistan. They were trying to do a ramp landing when the number one engine failed in the helicopter. The chinook crashed and rolled down the mountain. All Nick remembers is that the helicopter was filled with smoke and he couldn't breathe. He helped some other guys get out of the helicopter and they ran as far up the mountain as they could before the entire helicopter was engulfed in flames and destroyed. By a miracle nobody was seriously harmed. The entire crew had to wait on the mountain for three days to be rescued.

After he came home from this deployment, a chinook from his unit was flying around in the states, like they did almost everyday. That chinook ran into a TV tower and crashed. The crash killed everybody on board except one. Two of the soldiers that died were on the crash with Nick just a few months before. Nick's unit was was small and close knit, so this was a huge blow for him.

A few months later, Nick started noticing blood in his urine. He went in for just some normal tests, and they couldn't find anything. They did a scope of his bladder, and at age 27 Nick was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He had to go through treatment for many months, and it was very uncomfortable for him. He has been cancer free for five years, but recently Doctors have found more blood in his urine. Bladder cancer is one of the most recurrent types of cancer, so they are prepared for more surgery and treatment soon. Hopefully it will be nothing, and they are hoping for the best.

He has severe PTSD from the war and cannot work. Nick tries not to leave the house. He has went from active and strong to an introvert and a recluse. His only communication is with his wife.

Nick suffers from PTSD, extreme migraines 8-10 times a month, IBS, herniated discs and strain in his neck and back, and surgeries in both of his knees. In fact, they just spent time in the ER last week because Nick's back is so bad that he cannot walk. He is 32 years old. They moved to TN from GA where we were stationed for 9 years.

Mary and Nick Yasenak need your help to win the $20,000 in home repairs from Home Depot. What I need you all to do is to stop by the Home Depot Facebook page and vote for my sweet couple.

I Didn't Want To Go

The first weekend in November I attended the second half of a two-part trip to NYC to meet with the Writer’s Guild of America. There were 39 other wives of wounded soldiers in attendance and it was sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. We were there to learn how to better share our stories and improve our writing skills. Both trips were fun, educational and full of camaraderie, but this trip was different than any I have been on before.

We went to the 9/11 memorial. I have avoided going for many reasons. This was my third trip to NYC in a year and I couldn’t bring myself to see the site where America was changed forever by terrorists. When those faithful towers fell I didn’t personally know anyone that was lost there and I barely knew anyone in the military and what the fall of those towers would eventually mean for them. I had the sinking feeling that because of 9/11 our country would soon be at war but I had no idea how it would impact me.

That morning I and all the other caregivers were feeling anxious. While I knew it would be emotional, I also knew I needed to go. I felt it was my duty to pay my respects and see for my own eyes what directly impacted every American at that time and still does today, ten years later. Those terrorists are the reason my husband went to war and why he eventually would be blown-up by a terrorist.

We took the bus to the sight. We were running a bit behind schedule and the bus driver was rushing to get us there. He got on the PA system and said he just found out that he was taking wives of wounded soldiers to the memorial and he said he was a veteran as well. We all started clapping for him. That is when my anxiety started to creep up. I felt it in every fiber of my body. I assumed I knew what impact it would have on me but didn’t truly know until I walked inside the museum.

There was a wall of faces and missing persons flyers. These families were offering rewards for their loved ones to be found. The faces were of those that died at the hands of terrorists.  There were pieces of the planes and towers. There was a constant video reel playing that told the stories of those that had suffered because of this attack. My heart started to ache. I could feel emptiness in my bones. I felt like I could vomit and I was choking back the huge lump in my throat. I wandered off alone. I couldn’t see the other wives. It would be too painful.

I walked to the basement and started to look at little children’s drawings of the planes sidelining the towers. I read letters from all over the world from people who wrote what they felt on 9/11. I turned around and there was my dear friend with tears streaming down her face. She looked just as gutted as I felt. I grabbed her and we sobbed for a minute together. I look over and my other friend’s eyes were the most crystal blue and tears were streaming down her face. I wanted to run away. It felt too heavy.

We decided to get out of there before our allotted time was up. We stood outside looking at the freedom towers that were being built around the place where the World Trade Center fell. There was nothing really to say to each other. A huge red truck pulled up with the American flag and POW/MIA flag waved in the back and it was blaring God Bless America. I had a rush of chills run up my spine as that song always brings me to tears.

We walked over to the giant hole in the ground that is now two sets of beautiful fountains. There was a massive fence to my right with all kinds of excavators still trying to clean up the mess that the towers made when they fell. I almost didn’t want to look at it. I felt like a voyeur staring at the massive gravesite of so many. It felt like hallowed ground to walk on as I know so many lost their family members there. I sent up a silent prayer to those who will always suffer because of that day.

The fountains were undeniably beautiful and breathtaking. I tried my hardest to get a beautiful picture but it doesn’t really do it justice. The glowing names of those perished were inscribed on the wall surrounding the fountains. I read them as I passed by and tried to envision what they were like based on their names.

When the tour was over I felt relieved that I went. I think I needed to see it for some kind of peace and closure. I am thankful that I got to see it with many other wives that were suffering the loss of our husbands at the hands of terrorists and war. I know my husband will never be able to go to NYC, the streets are too busy and loud. But, I am blessed with the opportunity to go and share my losses with those that understand. I will never forget.

After spending my afternoon thinking about the families that lost so much because of 9/11 I got an email from a widow whose husband was a firefighter near ground zero. I had posted on twitter about a new program for veterans suffering with PTSD at Holliswood Hospital in NY. She happens to have started the yoga program with this program at Holliswood and felt compelled to email me. We started emailing back and forth and realized that I stood where her husband’s fire station was, Engine 10 Ladder 10.

It was like it was meant for us to talk. I found comfort in knowing how her family is doing ten years later and how she used her tragedy to help families dealing with combat PTSD. What a blessing to be able to connect with her and personally thank her for all that she sacrificed on the day that changed America.

Giving the Gift of Good, $20,000 to Help a Military Family

Thursday I was flown to Atlanta by the Home Depot Foundation along with seven other bloggers. We were given the opportunity to give back to Quest 35. Their mission is to develop and implement affordable-supportive housing programs that service the special need homeless and/or low income populations. They were building a section of housing just for homeless veterans. I was extremely excited to give back and was thankful for such an amazing opportunity to give the gift of good.

While at dinner on Thursday night we got the news that were were going to be able to give good to a military family in our community by receiving a $500 Home Depot gift card to purchase holiday decorations for a local military family in need.

These families will also be entered into a contest to have Home Depot fulfill their “Wish List” of home improvements up to a retail value of $20,000. Items on the “wish list” are things that will make a real difference in the long term efficiency and comfort of the family’s home, including things like a new HVAC system, new carpet, a new roof and new windows. The winning family will be determined by votes on a Facebook application on The Home Depot page November 29th -December 9th and announced on December 14th. They have a one in eight chance of winning the large makeover.

If you know of a military family, veteran or wounded warrior that lives in Knoxville, TN and are in need, please have them email me at GiveGoodKnoxville@yahoo.com no later than November 19th.

To enter you must:

You must have proof of serving in the military.

You must prove that you are in need of this service. I will determine this on a case-by-case basis.

You must live in Knoxville, TN.

You must own your home.

In your email please include:

Name

Contact Information

City

Branch of Service

Your story/need

Here are some pictures from our service project.

                                                                             Before

After

The bench that Karie and I helped build

The blogger team

The almost completed veteran's homes

Check out the other bloggers that get to give the gift of good:

Pensacola/Mobile http://beingthewifeofawoundedmarine.blogspot.com/2011/11/recieve-20000-in-home-improvements-from.html

Northeast Connecticut area http://mymilitarylife.com/2011/11/14/giving-good-and-20000-to-help-a-military-family/

Montgomery http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/11/the-home-depot-give-the-gift-of-good.html

Northern California http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/11/building-benches-the-gift-of-good/

Nation wide http://militaryblog.militaryavenue.com/2011/11/home-depots-give-gift-of-good-contest.html

Austin, TX http://livingwithlindsay.com/2011/11/giving-the-gift-of-good.html

Hoping to Promote Change

Now that the drama with the hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) bill we received is settled, I think it is time for me to initiate some support to get this treatment covered for other wounded warriors across the board.

HBOT has helped my husband with traumatic brain injury and others even years after their injury occurred.

While HBOT helped my husband, the effects do not last forever. He has lost some of the gains he received from his initial therapy. Still, the benefits of this therapy are huge. Now that we know that Tricare won’t pay for everyone to use this therapy, I feel we need to make our congressmen aware of its benefits and push to have it covered by Tricare.

On February 4, 2011, "The TBI Treatment Act," HR 396, was introduced in the 112th Congress by Congressmen Pete Sessions and Bill Pascrell and Todd Platts, co-chairs of the brain injury caucus. This is the re-introduction of HR 4568 from Congress’ last session. The bill is expected to have a Senate companion soon.

The bill requires the VA or Tricare to pay for any treatment for traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that works. The bill requires the VA or Tricare to pay for any treatment* for traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that works. The bill language will cover the use and payment of HBOT treatments. Over and over, doctors have shown that the therapy helps veterans.

The bill language will cover the use and payment of HBOT treatments. Over and over, doctors have shown that the therapy helps veterans.

 Reports of recovery after HBOT treatment have been remarkable and consistent from physicians around the nation.

Nearly every war veteran treated while they were in the service had their career saved, had their medical board cancelled independent of their HBOT treating physician and returned to duty.

On average, using only half of the HBOT 1.5 protocol, blast-injured war veterans experienced 15 point IQ increases from post-injury to post-HBOT 1.5 treatment, a 40% reduction in post-concussion symptoms, a 30% reduction in PTSD symptoms and a 51% decrease in depression. About 80% of everyone treated who was unable to work has returned to duty, work or school. About 55% no longer needed medication and the remaining veterans often needed less medication.

Though TRICARE has been paying intermittently and the VA has paid occasionally, HBOT treatment for TBI and PTSD is not routine, even though Tricare, VA and Medicare pay for 13 other approved HBOT indications. Note that HBOT is already FDA-approved, and paid by these payers, for three kinds of neurological indications and three kinds of non-healing wounds. The same cannot be said for any of the FDA-Black labeled drugs routinely given to our veterans suffering from TBI or PTSD.

The science is clear. HBOT is the only non-hormonal biological repair and regeneration treatment approved by the FDA. There has been a lack of understanding of the science about how oxygen heals. The belief that there is no treatment for brain injury has been the major hold-up for this breakthrough. There is in fact more evidence right now for HBOT 1.5 for treating brain injury or PTSD than there was for tPA for stroke treatment or angioplasty when they were both approved by Medicare and paid throughout the government system.

Please email your congressman and tell them how important it is for our veterans to receive HBOT treatment. Hundreds of thousands of veterans need effective treatment now and this legislation will make it possible.

Please help me in this effort to help wounded warriors get HBOT as part of their long term treatment plan. Visit this website to email your congressmen: http://www.hyperbaricmedicalassociation.org/387/default.nc?NoScript=1

*Specifically, the coverage will include treatments delivered using an already FDA approved drug or device; that follow an IRB-approved protocol; or for which there is improvement on standardized independent pre-treatment and post-treatment neuropsychological testing or accepted survey instruments or neurological imaging or clinical examination.