Our Spokesperson
The 10 in 10 Project is proud to have Army Iraq veteran Jessica Clements as our spokesperson.
Traumatic brain injury has been identified as the "signature wound of the war in Iraq" and Jessica is one of more than 3000 military personnel having sustained a brain injury.
who saved her life, Dr. Jeff Poffenbarger.
With the excellent care from the surgeon who saved her life in the field, followed by the rehabilitation program at Walter Reed and the support of the Brain Injury Recovery Kit™, Jessica has begun a new life. She has learned about the effects of brain injury and with determined optimism she continues every day to travel the path of her own recovery.
But Jessica isn't satisfied with receiving help for her own recovery, she wants to help others too. Jessica has already appeared on 60 Minutes and Oprah to help raise awareness on the silent epidemic of brain injury. Jessica is helping the 10 in 10 Project with the Ticket of Hope™ Fund Raiser so we can provide help for the soldiers living with brain injury and their families.
Jessica's Story
Jessica joined the Army Reserves before she graduated from high school in 1995. Following graduation, she went to boot camp and was assigned to the 706th Transportation Company MDM TRK (POL) where she drove medium sized fuel trucks. The pride, joy and direction she found in the Army prompted her to re-enlist. “The army made me a better person” she said. She intended to stay 20 years with the plans of retiring at the age of 38.
In February 2004, her unit was deployed to Iraq to move fuel to the different bases. By this time, Jessica had been promoted to Staff Sergeant. Three months later on May 5th, 2004, she was a passenger in a truck on the way to the Bagdad Airport. About three miles from the airport, her truck was struck by a roadside bomb. Jessica was the only one injured.
Army Surgeon saved her life
Jessica refers to Lt. Col. Jeff Poffenbarger as her angel. " He saved my life. He has saved many soldiers lives." she said. After nine days in a coma in Bagdad Jessica was flown via Germany to Washington, D.C. On May 15th she entered Walter Reed Army Hospital. Her prognosis was grim, but despite the odds she began to show progress. With surgery to re-attach her skull, and countless hours of rehabilitation. Jessica was able to return home, 9 months after arriving at Walter Reed.
I'm Blessed
Today, Jessica says she is "blessed". With tenacious optimism and vision she continues the recovery work of re-building her life. "
It's a big adjustment getting used to life with a brain injury".
Many things changed for Jessica:
- she cannot multi-task,
- she has memory problems,
- she has had to relearn how to handle everyday tasks,
- her engagement was called off and,
- she lives through day long headaches.
Through these trials, Jessica's core determination and sense of purpose has not been affected. She is amazing! A true inspiration!
"I know what it's like and I want to give hope so people will keep trying and not give up." she said . "I want every soldier to get a Brain Injury Recovery Kit™. Once you get home you miss all the support you had at the hospital. You are out there on your own a lot. The kit can really help. It can also help your family understand what it's like to live with brain injury".