Woodruff discusses effects of war

It's estimated that more than 73,000 soldiers have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from some form of traumatic brain injury, and the real total could be as high as 150,000 due to undiagnosed or unrecognized cases, according to the Veterans Administration.

Overall, traumatic brain injuries affect more than 1.4 million Americans annually.

Bob Woodruff, former ABC World News Tonight anchor, told of his personal experience with a traumatic brain disorder April 1 at a fundraiser for the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, which supports injured veterans financially.

On Jan. 29, 2006, Woodruff was injured when the army unit he was embedded with was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Several hundred people attended the event, held at the Millenium Hotel in downtown Cincinnati, including Gov. Ted Stickland. The fundraiser was sponsored by the Health Alliance and the Drake Foundation, which awarded Woodruff with the Drake Diamond Award, honoring him for his advocacy.

Woodruff said his visit this week to the Drake Center, a leading regional rehabilitation hospital, was especially moving for him.

"You see so many brothers and sisters who have gone through the same kind of thing," Woodruff said, speaking of other brain injury patients.

The event was Webcast by WCPO Channel 9, an ABC affiliate, to the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University and Northern Kentucky University.

Woodruff made headlines worldwide when he almost died as a result of the attack.

In a medically induced coma for 36 days, Woodruff lost 14 centimeters of his skull. The missing portion of his skull was later replaced with a plastic rendition.

In addition to the brain injury, which resulted in significant speech and language difficulties - Woodruff's doctors say it is unlikely he'll ever regain 100 percent of his former abilities - Woodruff also suffered injuries to his jaw and shoulder, still has shrapnel lodged in his throat, and suffers from low-level blindness.

While the story of Woodruff's recovery is a medical success - he said he received the best medical care in the world - the support of wife Lee Woodward and family and friends aided in his recovery.

But not all traumatic brain injury casualties have easy access to the medical care he had, and post-injury care can be a hardship for families.

"The key is to separate the war from the warriors," Woodruff said. "This has always been for us a completely non-political question - whether you are for the war or against the war or somewhere in the middle. For me, helping those who have returned has been important."

UC discussion panelist Phil Jasin, a neuro-rehabilitation specialist at the Drake Center, said traumatic brain injuries are the "signature of this war," and added traumatic amputations and burns have also increased significantly among casualties of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I don't think [media]reports have focused enough on survivors," Jasin said.

In addition to financial support, Jasin said survivors need vocational training and living arrangements.

The increase in brain injuries is the result of decreased mortality - Kevlar body armor and helmets are saving tens of thousands of lives, but the head injuries cannot be eliminated.

Linda Wright, a former news reporter and president of Wright Communications, said "It's a different kind of war after 9/11."