Seminar Date: December 5, 2007
Presented By: Rolf Gainer Ph.D.
The blast that killed 12 marines in Fallujah left Sam Reyes with a back full of shrapnel, a shredded tongue, and a brain injury that wiped out the memories of friends and family. Starting minutes after an injury, soldiers embark on a spectacular pipeline of medical care that involves experimental wonder-drugs, flying ICU’s, and new craniums. Despite the unheard-of level of care, the military can’t put lives back together. Reyes, like thousands of brain-injured soldiers before him, has fallen off the precipice of dreamcare and is forced to piece together his life, this time with the disadvantage of a broken brain.
As research for his forthcoming book on brain injury survivors, Michael Mason has interviewed dozens of individuals within the military and VA system. Neurotrauma surgeons share their insights and heartbreaks, psychologists discuss the social complexities of the injury, and social workers voice their fears about long-term treatment. Mason will take participants through the military’s sequence of care, along the way creating a picture of the blast injury survivors who will soon be back in our community.
To view the entire slide presentation, please click the link below:
“The Pipeline: A Military Medical Megaride”
Featured Speaker:
Michael Mason’s recent breaking-news article in Discover magazine, “Dead Men Walking,” has ignited a national debate about the treatment of brain injured soldiers. Several major networks and print media have since picked up the story. After a recent trip to Iraq, Mason has researched the pros and cons of the military’s medical treatment, and has also investigated the plight of the Iraqi brain injured population. Mason’s first book of non-fiction, Damaged: The Injured Brain (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux) is an exploration into the harsh realities endured by brain injury survivors. It is scheduled for release in early 2008.
