WOUNDED, BUT NOT OUT A BULLET NEARLY KILLED HIM - THEN LED TO A NEW LIFE.Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer SUN VALLEY - By all accounts, Sgt. Jesus Vidana should have been killed by the sniper's bullet that pierced his helmet. Instead, he was evacuated from Baghdad to a military hospital where he received the kind of medical care that creates miracles and saves lives. And while Vidana knows he is forever changed Forever Changed was a Christian Rock band from Tallahassee and Orlando, FL. They came together in 1999 and broke up in 2006. Dan Cole was the lead singer, a guitarist, and a pianist. Ben O'Rear was the lead guitarist, Tom Gustafson played bass, and Nathan Lee played the drums. by the brain damage he suffered, he also realizes how far he's come in the three years since he was wounded. ``I feel like the old me would have done everything better and faster but I can't compare myself,'' he said from his home in Sun Valley. ``I know things will never be the same. At least I can deal better with it now.'' Vidana was a college student and athlete when he was deployed to Iraq with the Marine Reserves, working as a radio operator. After recovering from brain surgery, he had to relearn Verb 1. relearn - learn something again, as after having forgotten or neglected it; "After the accident, he could not walk for months and had to relearn how to walk down stairs" those skills - along with how to walk, eat and bathe himself - during grueling rehabilitation sessions at the Veteran Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, one of four national centers treating veterans with multiple injuries. ``There would be days that he would just be crying out in pain,'' said Rosina Vidana, his mother, who spent the better part of three months at the hospital watching him recover. Reading proved monumental and though he would eventually re-enroll in college, it took him hours longer than others to do class assignments. He eventually passed his exam, with extra time allowed for his disability. Afraid he couldn't handle the rigor rigor /rig·or/ (rig´er) [L.] chill; rigidity. rigor mor´tis the stiffening of a dead body accompanying depletion of adenosine triphosphate in the muscle fibers. of an eight-hour workday, he took a part-time job as an occupational therapist occupational therapist A person trained to help people manage daily activities of living–dressing, cooking, etc, and other activities that promote recovery and regaining vocational skills Salary $51K + 4% bonus. See ADL. at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center is a hospital in Burbank, California, USA. The hospital has 455 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. It's adress is: 501 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91505. in Burbank, where he helps those struggling - as he did - to again learn to walk, read and dress. Although life for the veteran is slowly returning to normal, Vidana's left side is still weak and he tires quickly. Reading numbers can sometimes be daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin , and fast-paced conversation overwhelms him. More than 2,300 U.S. troops have been killed and 17,000 more wounded in the Iraq War, which officially began March 20, 2003. About 20 percent of those wounded suffered a traumatic brain injury Traumatic brain injury (TBI), traumatic injuries to the brain, also called intracranial injury, or simply head injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes brain damage. TBI can result from a closed head injury or a penetrating head injury and is one of two subsets of acquired brain , according to studies of patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Walter Reed Army Medical Center, major hospital complex in Washington, D. C., and Forest Glen, Md.; est. 1923 and named for U.S. army surgeon Walter Reed. It is composed of seven units including a general hospital and a research institute. There are several thousand beds. . Doctors attribute the high numbers of brain injuries to land mines and improvised explosive devices that negate improved body armor. Brain injury can cause cognitive problems, along with irritability, short-term memory short-term memory n. Abbr. STM The phase of the memory process in which stimuli that have been recognized and registered are stored briefly. loss and depression. ``It's much worse to be injured in the brain because the self becomes injured - you are not your body, but you are your brain. Many end up being a stripped-down version of who they were before,'' said Harriet Zeiner, a clinical neuropsychologist Neuropsychologist A clinical psychologist who specializes in assessing psychological status caused by a brain disorder. Mentioned in: Post-Concussion Syndrome at Veteran Affairs in Palo Alto. ``And most people don't look as if they have been injured. That's what makes it so dangerous.'' Rachel Uranga, (818) 713-3741 rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) A wounded Marine turned occupational therapist, Jesus Vidana works with Carlos Torres, 89, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank earlier this month. After being shot in the head, Vidana had to relearn many skills. (2) Therapist Jesus Vidana works with Carlos Torres, 89, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News |
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