DESTINY

 10/31/12

Memories are often so clear in my mind that they are not memories at all but the present.

It was 2005. I was making daily visits to Bethesda Navy Medical Center (now Walter Reed National Military Medical Center) to a wounded Marine and his family. That young man is another story for another time. It was the patient in the next room I am recalling now. His name was Steven Diaz, also a Marine. His injuries were severe.....shrapnel from an explosion leaving him with injuries to his head, left leg, right foot, the loss of an eye and traumatic brain injury. Steven was in the hospital for 20 months recovering and rehabilitating.

While there he was awarded the Purple Heart by his Commandant, Gen. John Hagee, which I was honored to attend

along with Steven's parents. I felt so proud to witness this demonstration of respect and appreciation for a wounded Marine. 

Having never been in a hospital setting prior to my visits that spring, it was very unsettling. First, seeing the patients in such horrific conditions......from head to toe.....and of course hooked up to all sorts of monitors. Steven's parents knew no one and I felt blessed to have been there for them in this frightening time to help bring calm with all the confusion around them. There was such fear of the unknown for them....but for some reason God chose me to be there to help calm the storm. At that time I was not aware that it was God who had placed me there......but in hindsight I realized that the many months I spent with the few families I visited had a purpose. Each of those families, and there were several, expressed gratitude that I was there, helping to bring a small amount of peace and comfort in a strange new world of the ICU. So many of those wounded were near death. I will never forget the first moment I stepped into that ICU. It took my breath away at the urgency all around me. A day or two and I felt as if I had been there for years. God gave me the words and the strength to ease the fear in these families and for that I was thankful.

Steven, after being discharged from the hospital, went home to South Carolina. He worked and attended college. But the Lord had plans for Steven too. In 2010 a young Marine and the brother of a high school friend, reached out to Steven. He was suffering with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Having not served in the military myself and never been in combat nor seen the horrors of war I cannot begin to understand the emotions these young men/women are living with. Mills Bigham committed suicide shortly after reaching out for help. That was the catalyst that brought Steven and his high school friend Anna Bigham together to create a non-profit organization specifically to treat our warriors with 'hidden wounds'........to address the enormous need to treat those psychological wounds that are not evident to those around them. That was 2010. Now Hidden Wounds has become a driving force in the new realm of treating our returning warriors and those who have been home for some time who are suffering from PTSD and TBI. (Traumatic Brain Injury).

My reason for writing this story is that it is one from the past positively influencing the present and the future. I have met quite a few patients at Walter Reed who have expressed a deep desire to educate themselves in order to treat those with 'hidden wounds'. From young lance corporals to majors in the Marine Corps.....so many want to give back. As they struggle with their own illnesses they know that they are the best source of understanding.....someone who has 'been there and done that'. Time and time again I hear that those warriors with such heavy burdens want to unload those burdens but not unless it is with someone who can relate to their pain. Steven and Hidden Wounds are making a difference. After all, that is why we are all here. To make a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

I thank God daily for the gift of opportunity He has given me.

Now that I am retired from work I plan to use that gift in as many ways as I possibly can. Writing about my friends, acquaintances and experiences with our outstanding wounded and their families is one way I can share their stories and my blessings, the highs and lows, but mostly the highs. I have met some remarkable patriots over the last few years at Walter Reed. I hope by sharing this story with you

it is evident how my life has been impacted by their service and sacrifice.