Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Benefit from Organizational Partnerships

Many friendships and professional partnerships have flourished as soldiers return home to their families from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Fredia Johnson, a care coordinator for Operation TBI Freedom, said, “Everyone coming home has to make adjustments, whether they have physical injuries or psychological ones.” Fredia, a Marine veteran, works with men and women who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI). “Many return home thinking they can pick up where they left off. Soldiers with brain injury struggle, especially just after they come home. They’re trying to do so many things at once: find their place at work, get therapy, manage bills and apply for benefits,” Fredia explained. “Some veterans aren’t even aware they have a brain injury; they just know things are different and difficult. It can be overwhelming for the service member and his or her family,” she said.

Fredia starts out by helping the service member and their family manage immediate crises or stressors, and then she supports the medical care they are receiving from the military. Once those connections are made and the service member is close to getting out of the military, she works with the service member and their family to identify available national, local and community resources. She also begins to teach and support strategies for self advocacy.

Fredia called Operation First Response (OFR), a national resource, after talking to JJ, a soldier with a traumatic brain injury who is a single parent. He purchased a house after returning from Iraq, not realizing a toxic mold problem was a spreading hazard within the home. When his son started wheezing, he contacted Fredia. She decided to ask Operation First Response for help because they specialize in helping service members. “I got a hold of PJ Green at OFR, and before I knew it, she’d found a construction group in Colorado who was willing to assess the renovation needs and provide free labor for the changes that needed to be made,” Fredia shared.

Fredia and PJ share a passion, PJ noted. “I got into this after my nephew, Daniel, died in Iraq in 2006. I could almost hear him say, ‘don’t wallow in self pity—do something!’” PJ checked out several different groups and decided to help Peggy Baker, of Operation First Response, raise money. She soon realized her construction skills could be put to good use as well. “My dad was a carpenter, and I flipped houses during my college years, so I was completely at home in a renovation setting,” PJ explained. “I love being in the center of the activity, so I flew out to Colorado to join the volunteer contractors working on JJ’s house.” PJ said Fredia and she are made from the same cloth. “Fredia’s got spunk, drive and devotion.” They are never concerned with who gets the credit for the assistance they provide; they just want the service member to get as much help as possible.

Soldiers are often amazed when people care enough about them to volunteer on their behalf. The construction team worked on JJ’s house for three days. A local Colorado Springs volunteer oversaw the day-to-day coordination of all the veteran and community volunteers involved in the labor, and he helped coordinate the labor forces’ efforts to rid the house of mold and replace all the floors. The volunteers also cleared the backyard, put down sod and put in new carpeting and bathroom tile. The work and materials, including new appliances, totaled more than $50,000. “Everything looks wonderful, and my son feels much better,” JJ said. The project went so well, Fredia asked PJ to help the Estep family. Both parents are veterans and have recently had a set of twin boys. Their house needs new bathrooms and mold abatement.

Both Operation First Response and Operation TBI Freedom have the same vision, to ease the stress and difficult challenges returning military members face. These two organizations are part of an extensive support network that reaches all areas of the country. You can help their efforts by donating and by letting military families know this kind of help is available.