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MILITARY MILITARY
MEDICINE MEDICINE
Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell’s Story for a special home where service members could heal together was re-
Almost one year after his devastating combat injury, Maxwell’s vision
alized. Maxwell Hall, the first barracks for wounded warriors on the
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM SUPPORT ON THE East Coast, was opened in 2005. The following year, the Marines
opened a similar unit on the West Coast at Camp Pendleton. Maxwell’s
ROAD TO RECOVERY accomplishments became a catalyst for reform of other wounded-war-
rior programs throughout the U.S. Department of Defense.
From the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Now retired from the Marines, Maxwell serves as president of Sem-
perMax Support Fund, where he continues his mission to prevent feel-
T hey train together. They fight together. So if wounded, why ings of isolation and disenfranchisement among wounded service
shouldn’t they go through recovery together? This was the ques-
members.
tion that Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell asked about his fellow marines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), National
being discharged from the hospital and left alone to recover from injuries Center for Injury Prevention and Control salutes Maxwell for his serv-
of war. ice to the nation, his drive to help other wounded warriors while over- “My strength and mission in life is
coming his own challenges of living with a TBI, and his success in that I give people hope,”
“When you’re in the hospital, you are with other helping others realize the importance of continuous support during Maxwell said.
wounded warriors. But once you are out of the the entire recovery process.
hospital, it’s tough,” explains Maxwell.
To learn more about CDC’s efforts to meet the challenge of
He should know. While on his sixth combat deployment, Maxwell sus- severe TBI, go to: www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury
tained a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) during a mortar attack in
Iraq. When he awoke a month later at the Bethesda Naval Medical Cen-
ter, doctors didn’t think he would survive. The shrapnel that penetrated
his skull inflicted severe damage to his brain, impairing his vision and
leaving him unable to talk or walk.
Unfortunately, Maxwell is not alone. Each year, TBIs contribute to a
substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability. For in-
dividuals hospitalized after a TBI, almost half (43%) have a related dis-
ability one year after the injury. In fact, a TBI may lead to a wide range
of short- or long-term issues affecting: attention and memory; coordi-
nation and balance; hearing; vision; perception and touch. A TBI may
also lead to personality changes; aggressive behavior; poor impulse con-
Approximately 5.3 million trol; and mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
Americans are living with a Maxwell recalls his own feelings of isolation, depression, and anger,
TBI-related disability, and even after being back home with family. During his recovery, one of his
the consequences of severe doctors suggested he talk with other wounded service members. So while
TBI can affect all aspects of still in a wheel chair with a large visible scar on the left side of his shaved
an individual’s life. This can head, Maxwell set off to visit other wounded soldiers in the hospital. He
include relationships with later counseled Marines convalescing back at his old unit at Camp LeJe-
family and friends, as well
as the ability to work or be une, where he saw first-hand the difficulties young service members with
employed, do household serious injuries faced, living alone without any support.
tasks, drive, and/or Maxwell fully understood the critical need for ongoing support during
participate in other recovery from a life-changing injury. So he began a new mission: to find
activities of daily living. a place where Marines could stay together on their journey to recovery.
He convinced his leadership of the need to have housing that would allow
injured marines and sailors to recuperate in a supportive environment.
18 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • February 2022 Visit us at www.bcms.org 19
