Mother to Mother - Introduction

    MOTHER TO MOTHER

                I would like to write a column for Operation REVAMP and Blue Star Mothers that deals with helping our children through the struggle to recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The results of repeated deployments, exposure to multiple Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS) explosions and the uncertainty of war and political objectives.

          My qualifications to write this column are;

1. I am a Blue Star Mother.

2. I have degrees in multi-level education, educable Mentally Retarded, English as a Second Language, Learning Disabilities, and Emotionally Disturbed.

 3. I taught these school populations for 20 years.

  4. I have a Master’s in counseling.

   5. Both my husband and myself come from military families that have served this country since the revolution and continue to serve with honor and distinction. Currently, 2 Navy, 1 Army, 1 Marine, and 1 Air Force serving.

 6. I learned some methods while working in a home for traumatic brain injured youth.

 7. I am certified in (CISM) Crisis Intervention Stress Management and (CERT) Community Emergency Response Training.

 8. Uniquely both my oldest son and I have survived a series of TBIs and do have PTSD. The circumstances under which we received these physical and psychological injuries I won’t share and are not going to be the focus of the column. The focus will be on the returning troops and their families who need some help now. I am willing to share with the mothers things they can do to help their children with similar problems. It would be coming from another mom who figured out what works to pull your child back to this world. The focus is giving those tools and information they can use for this fight. Some simple things that help in big and small ways to move them on to as good a recovery as possible no matter how long it takes. This is a battle the moms can win.

          We will use the latest brain research which is encouraging. We will consult military leaders like Colonel, Dr. Joe Heck, who did a study of the effects on the brain of repeated exposure to IED explosions. I have a copy.

          We will call on experts in TBI, PTSD, depression, pain relief whatever is needed. My middle son is a Navy plastic surgeon, not a neurologist, but he is very helpful to me. The relief of having a presentable face again obviously helps a recovering soldier.

          I want to help these moms and wives with the depression they will be going though, emphasizing they are the lucky ones, they have their loved one back. Miracles take a lot of work and time, but they do happen. If they want to email me that’s great, but I won’t identify them in the column unless they want me to. The column would just be one mother who has had the training and experiences to offer methods that may help, encouraging others.    

                   Thank You

                                      Mavis H. MacDowell