Greg Has Accomplished More than He Thought was Possible

When Greg Rivera came to Operation TBI Freedom (OTF), he was going through a very "dark period" in his life, as he describes. He had suffered a traumatic brain injury while in the Army and was struggling to get his life back together. A single father, Greg had been evicted from his apartment, leaving him homeless with four children. He was able to find a temporary place for his children to stay, but he couldn't get approved for housing and didn't have any money left. "The car I was sleeping in wasn't even mine," he recalled.

Greg's care coordinator, Fredia Johnson, immediately stepped in to support him through the crisis. She helped him get approved for a new apartment, and OTF covered the deposit and the first three months of rent and utilities. Fredia also connected Greg to an organization that helped him purchase a car. Throughout all of this, Greg was also trying to earn his bachelor's degree, but without any money, he told Fredia he would have to drop out. "Fredia wouldn't let me quit school," he said. "She encouraged me to keep going."

Now Greg has graduated from college, and he's even thinking about going back for a Master's degree. "It was a 360-degree turn," Greg said of all the changes in his life. "OTF has helped me tremendously. Without this program, I wouldn't have a degree or a job, and I probably wouldn't still have custody of my kids," he expressed. "OTF helped me stay in school and feel like I was worthy, that I could be somebody. I still can't believe all the stuff I've accomplished."