Page 135 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2018

GIVING BACK winning the battle
story by Lynn Lofton
photos courtesy of Wounded Warrior Project
he Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2003 in Roanoke, Virginia, by a group of veterans and friends who took action to help the injured service men and women of this generation. The founders included John Melia who had been severely wounded in a helicopter crash while serving in Somalia in 1992. The mission is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound in their military service on or after September 11, 2001. This national organization offers services to warriors throughout the country.
is a proud community support of
1613 23rd Avenue Gulfport, MS | 228.284.4651 | www.msmindfulmatters.com
A local example is 25-year- old Logan McDonald who
is in a wheelchair and works out in a gym with the assistance of Taylor Foster,
a certified recreational specialist with the Wounded Warrior Project who is contracted through the University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies.
Foster says McDonald
was bitten by a mosquito
in Marine Corps boot camp
that resulted in a rare disease
called lacrosse encephalitis.
“He was in a coma for over two months and his lungs collapsed twice,” he said. “McDonald suffered this life changing event at Paris Island, South Carolina, that left him with a brain injury.”
Foster works with Logan Monday through Friday to give his grandparents, who care for him, a break during the day. “My goal is to encourage his independent skills
and work on his communication and social engagement,” he said.
According to the Wounded Warrior website, the program began as a small, grassroots effort to provide immediate assistance when
a warrior of this generation is injured. Feeling they could do the most good
by providing more
comprehensive programs and services to the newly injured, WWP does not
spread itself too thin by trying to help all veterans. They officially acknowledge the many veterans’ organizations for warriors from previous conflicts and fill the need to serve the newest generation.
Wounded Warrior Resource Center
888.997.2586 | www.woundedwarriorproject.org
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