Susan & all of the Quilting Buddies,
Thank you so much for the time and effort that goes into making these quilts (Ive made a couple of very simple quilts so Im aware of how much really goes into each one!). My husband received his quilt from a Chaplain at Walter Reed AMC this past month.
CPT Mark B., my husband, was injured in April of 2006 when a suicide bomber walked around a corner behind he and 2 of his men in a market. He suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), spinal cord damage and nearly lost his right arm. The initial reports I recieved from Landstuhl, Germany, were very bleak as I was told he would be a quadreplegic and would need a respirator to breathe. Two weeks later and he was breathing above the respirator, another week later, he began moving his left arm and leg. After being in a coma for nearly a month, he woke up with that warrior spirit and began fighting. Because of his brain injury, his short term memory is a problem (however considering the amount of trauma his body went through and the lack of nightmares, I see this as a blessing!). During his time at Baladl, they removed the right side of his skull to allow the brain to swell and keep the tissue from being damaged. We were at Walter Reed for nearly 4 months before he was transferred to the Tampa, FL VA where they have an excellent TBI rehab facility. By this time, he was up and walking and was able to lose his cane shortly after we arrived. We were there for 3 weeks before being sent home to allow him time to relax and do his Physical and Occupational therapies as an outpatient. In October, we returned to Walter Reed where a prostetic had been made to replace his missing skull plate. As of Feb, he will be medically retired due to the injuries he recieved. He's already planning what he wants to do next and is working his strength to be able to run again. His is just one of 20,000+ stories but unfortunately is one of the hallmark injuries of this war. One thing we do plan is to bring more awareness to the brain injury soldiers as they are often forgotten about.
We both thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this quilt and will keep it always to remember the past year and all the kind hearted people we've met along the way. Our deepest gratitude for thinking of all the Wounded Warriors.
Thank you again.
Sunny & Mark B.