Topic: Traumatic Brain Injury When He Came Home Chapter 2
Originally aired on October 22nd, 2008
Sgt. Richard Massimino
Marine Veteran
Dr. April Groff
Neuropsychologist
Palo Alto VA
Mai-Ling Garcia
Senior Policy Associate Swords to Plowshares
Natasha Massimino
Natasha is the wife of Marine Sgt. Richard Massimino and the mother of three kids - Anastasia, Isabella and Devlin. The 30-year-old California native stood strongly by her husband when he was deployed first to Kuwait, and then twice to Iraq. But ever since he came back suffering from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Natasha's life, and their marriage, have been flipped upside down. Now, not only is she a wife and a mother, but she's also a caretaker. While she always wanted to be lifelong Marine wife, now, with an average of four hours of sleep a night, all she wants is a nap. Despite the daily struggles, she's determined to help her husband work through his issues and to get the old Richard back.
Sgt. Richard Massimino
Sgt. Richard Massimino joined the Marines in 1997 and served with the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group out of Camp Pendleton. He loved the service and always wanted to dedicate his life to it. "Richard wanted to be a crusty old Marine," says his wife Natasha. "He wanted to be there until they said you have to get out, you're too old." The 30-year-old Marine served 11 years and did a tour in Kuwait and two tours in Iraq before he was medically retired in 2008. Richard returned home from Iraq damaged - his back was a mess, he had acute asthma from his days in the desert, and he suffered from severe PTSD and TBI. He had changed dramatically, and to his wife and children he was a different person.
Topic: Traumatic Brain Injury, When He Came Home Chapter 1
A marriage is put in crisis when a Marine returns home from Iraq with Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Natasha Massimino
Marine Wife
Dr. Judith Broder
Director
The Soldiers Project
Aired: October 15th, 2008
Natasha Massimino
Natasha is the wife of Marine Sgt. Richard Massimino and the mother of three kids - Anastasia, Isabella and Devlin. The 30-year-old California native stood strongly by her husband when he was deployed first to Kuwait, and then twice to Iraq. But ever since he came back suffering from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Natasha's life, and their marriage, have been flipped upside down. Now, not only is she a wife and a mother, but she's also a caretaker. While she always wanted to be lifelong Marine wife, now, with an average of four hours of sleep a night, all she wants is a nap. Despite the daily struggles, she's determined to help her husband work through his issues and to get the old Richard back.
Sgt. Richard Massimino
Sgt. Richard Massimino joined the Marines in 1997 and served with the 1st Maintenance Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group out of Camp Pendleton. He loved the service and always wanted to dedicate his life to it. "Richard wanted to be a crusty old Marine," says his wife Natasha. "He wanted to be there until they said you have to get out, you're too old." The 30-year-old Marine served 11 years and did a tour in Kuwait and two tours in Iraq before he was medically retired in 2008. Richard returned home from Iraq damaged - his back was a mess, he had acute asthma from his days in the desert, and he suffered from severe PTSD and TBI. He had changed dramatically, and to his wife and children he was a different person.
Topic: Volunteerism A Good Cause Chapter 2
Originally aired on October 8th, 2008
Grace Park
Student Volunteer
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services
Paul Park
Student Volunteer
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services
Jon Karanopoulos
Liaison
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services
Courtney Lavelleye
One of her greatest friends describes her best: "Courtney is the energetic, all-American girl." The 18-year-old high school senior from Potomac, Maryland, is more or less the ringleader of a three-person crew - Courtney, Ellie, Grace. While many of their classmates have been sleeping in on the weekends, Courtney and her two best friends have spent the past two years volunteering every Saturday at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Inspired by the work she has done at the hospital, Courtney's goal is to pursue a career as civilian nurse for a military treatment facility, like Walter Reed.
Grace Park
Grace, also 18 years old, is the valedictorian at Bullis High School. As Ellie says, "She's good at everything - she's all around amazing." She does have two rooms with two closets to fit all her clothes, but Grace is the first to admit she lives in a sheltered upper-class suburb, or as she calls it, "the Potomac Bubble." It's something she discovered while volunteering with Courtney and Ellie at Walter Reed. The experience for her was eye opening and, like the other girls, life changing. The lucky one of the group, she'll be attending nearby Georgetown University this fall, and will still be able to pop in for visits at Walter Reed.
Eleanor Gass
Originally from England, 18-year-old Ellie Gass is also a senior at Bullis High School in Potomac, Maryland. Out of the three girls, she's the self-described 'athlete' of the group, which became a bonding point for her and many of the patients at Walter Reed. Like Courtney, Ellie has been so deeply impacted by what she's seen and experienced at Walter Reed, that she's now hoping to pursue a future career in physical therapy.
Topic: Volunteerism: A Good Cause Chapter 1
A Good Cause
Three unlikely high school volunteers are changed forever through their experiences volunteering at Walter Reed.
Originally aired on October 1st, 2008
Barbara Lau
Executive Director
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services
Courtney LaVelleye
Student Volunteer
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services
Ellie Gass
Student Volunteer
CAUSE - Comfort for America's Uniformed Services
Courtney Lavelleye
One of her greatest friends describes her best: "Courtney is the energetic, all-American girl." The 18-year-old high school senior from Potomac, Maryland, is more or less the ringleader of a three-person crew - Courtney, Ellie, Grace. While many of their classmates have been sleeping in on the weekends, Courtney and her two best friends have spent the past two years volunteering every Saturday at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Inspired by the work she has done at the hospital, Courtney's goal is to pursue a career as civilian nurse for a military treatment facility, like Walter Reed.
Grace Park
Grace, also 18 years old, is the valedictorian at Bullis High School. As Ellie says, "She's good at everything - she's all around amazing." She does have two rooms with two closets to fit all her clothes, but Grace is the first to admit she lives in a sheltered upper-class suburb, or as she calls it, "the Potomac Bubble." It's something she discovered while volunteering with Courtney and Ellie at Walter Reed. The experience for her was eye opening and, like the other girls, life changing. The lucky one of the group, she'll be attending nearby Georgetown University this fall, and will still be able to pop in for visits at Walter Reed.
Eleanor Gass
Originally from England, 18-year-old Ellie Gass is also a senior at Bullis High School in Potomac, Maryland. Out of the three girls, she's the self-described 'athlete' of the group, which became a bonding point for her and many of the patients at Walter Reed. Like Courtney, Ellie has been so deeply impacted by what she's seen and experienced at Walter Reed, that she's now hoping to pursue a future career in physical therapy.
