Salute, Inc. is honored to have helped Jon & his mother Barb!
September 7, 2007
My name is Barbara Appel and my home state is in the Pacific Northwest. I have not been home except briefly in July for 2 weeks. I have traveled with my TBI (traumatic brain injury) son since March 2007 and it is now September of 2007. I left in March thinking I would be gone from home maybe 6 weeks - well my thinking was not very realistic! I had everything most of us have, a home, family and a job! Guess what - life took a very ugly turn and things will never return to "normal" again!
My son, Jon, age 34 years, full of life, not a care in the world, a successful man in all respects - had his "life" (as we knew it) cut short in a split second! He was a military man, a former Marine in Desert Storm, on duty in the States (he was a recruiter in the Army) and he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a MVA on the way to his next assignment. He was "life flighted" to a Trauma Center in Oregon - he sustained a closed head injury - and he fought for his life for several months at that center- battling many infections, shunt replacements, a resection of his lungs from pneumonia, cosmetic surgery on his coccyx from a State 4 ulcer, and the most difficult life- altering operation, a partial removal of his frontal and temporal loves in this brain - namely, a Crainiectomy.
Through all of this - Jon lives! It has been two long years! He is alive and we are at the point now where we are searching for a small home for him to live in and hopefully he will maintain some quality of life and some form of independence - of course - every member of our family and extended family and friends will be participating in this ongoing care.
I have been very ALONE - in THOUGHT, WORD and DEED! It has been so overwhelming at times that I thought I could not make it one more moment. If Salute had not come into my life- I could not have survived this mind-boggling undertaking. LIFE-ALTERING DOES NOT EVEN BEGIN TO EXPRESS THE TASK CONFRONTING ONESELF!
Salute came into my life through word of mouth at RIC - Chicago. They found me, they talked with me (although I'm sure I came across as a very confused babbling mother) extremely tired from months of watching over Jon and flying from the NW to Chicago (never been there before) and wondering how many days I could sleep in his room and where would I find an apartment and how could it be paid for! How can anyone sleep with so much uncertainty?
Long story short - I needed help but really found it hard to ask for as I've never been in such a position. Will and Mary Beth just listened to me and "ran" with it! That one check was only the start as their organization supported me throughout my stay in Chicago and even beyond that! Whatever I needed, they gave! And they keep on giving, taking time away from their families to focus on people such as us - tirelessly working to make a difference - and indeed they do.
They ARE more than what I perceived as "charity" and their organization is really based on their own experiences with life-altering situations and their understanding of what it takes to "pull together" to effect positive changes for those of us that experience such tragedies!"
I "salute" all you members of this wonderful "family" of friends and whatever could possibly be my contribution as I travel this road with my son, count me in - you gave me faith in people- especially those members in your organization that are selfless in their giving - and hope - obstacles that seemed insurmountable are lessened by your willingness to listen and ask - I'll never forget this - "and what do you need?"
How long has it been since anyone asked us - What can we do for you?" I guess this is why I "revere" Salute so much - if you look that word up, it means to honor - and on this day - we need to HONOR them for their work and SUPPORT their cause! It has meant so very much to Jon and me!
Barb Appel
