WOMAN: I WAS IN THE MILITARY FOR 14 YEARS.
IT WAS NOTHING BUT A GOOD EXPERIENCE, HONESTLY.
I TRAVELED A LOT.
I WAS PUT TO WORK, HARD WORK,
BUT I GOT SOME REWARDS OUT OF IT.
I RECEIVED MY INJURY IN RAMADI, IRAQ--
A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
WHEN I WOKE UP AND I FINALLY REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO ME,
I, UM...
I THOUGHT SOME BAD THINGS, AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW,
"I WISH THAT BULLET WOULD HAVE MOVED OVER JUST 1/8 OF AN INCH,"
AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF ME.
AND, UH, I WAS JUST LIKE, "I NEED..."
I SAID, "I DIDN'T--I DIDN'T WANT TO LIVE THIS LIFE."
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, OR TBI,
IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSE OF EPILEPSY IN YOUNG ADULTS.
INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY,
LIKE MY PATIENT, MISS CRABTREE,
HAVE A LONG COURSE OF REHAB FOLLOWING THEIR INJURIES.
IN--IN HER CASE, SHE SUFFERED A COMBAT-RELATED HEAD INJURY
AND UNDERWENT PROLONGED HOSPITALIZATION
CARING FOR THAT ACUTE INJURY
AND THEN CONSIDERABLE REHABILITATION.
FINALLY, I WAS LIKE, "THIS IS WHAT... GOD HAS GIVEN ME,"
SO, THEREFORE, I HAVE TO DO MY BEST WITH IT.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT EPILEPSY IS THAT WE DO AN EXCELLENT JOB
CONTROLLING SEIZURES IN THE MAJORITY OF OUR PATIENTS
WITH MEDICATIONS ALONE.
THAT IS TRUE FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE EPILEPSY DUE TO TBIs, AS WELL.
MISS CRABTREE'S MEDICATIONS WITH US HAVE BEEN THERAPEUTIC.
AND WHAT WE MEAN BY THERAPEUTIC IS THEY'RE WORKING FOR HER.
THEY'RE CONTROLLING A LOT OF THE SEIZURE ACTIVITY THAT SHE HAD PREVIOUSLY.
HOLLY: ONE THING THAT I LEARNED IN THE VERY BEGINNING
WAS THAT I NEEDED TO STAY ON MEDICATION
SO I DON'T HAVE SEIZURES.
WE STILL WORK ON SOME MAINTENANCE ISSUES AND SOME BREATHROUGH SEIZURES
BUT OVERALL, SHE'S MANAGING WELL AND SHE'S WHERE WE WOULD EXPECT HER TO BE.
FRANK: WHEN YOU HAVE INSULT OR INJURY TO AN AREA,
THE AREA IS NEVER WHAT IT WAS.
SHE HAS DIFFICULTY WITH COGNITION...
ALL RIGHT, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU, HOLLY.
THANKS FOR COMING IN TODAY.
SHE HAS SEVERE WEAKNESS.
THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT AFFECT HER DAILY LIFE.
AND SHE HAD TO LEARN SKILLS AND APPROACHES
TO MANAGE ON HER OWN.
WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED,
CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH THIS FINGER?
FRANK: SO WE'RE REPATHING WHAT USED TO BE THERE
AND TRYING TO USE OTHER AREAS
TO HELP RE-CREATE THOSE AREAS THAT SHE DOESN'T HAVE CONTROL OVER ANYMORE--
RELEARNING TO WALK, RELEARN A NEW LANGUAGE,
AND THAT'S WHAT SHE'S GOING THROUGH WITH--WITH EVERY EVENT
AS SHE'S GOING THROUGH IN HER LIFE.
AND SO THAT KIND OF WEARS ON HER
AND MAKES HER FEEL DEPRESSED OR PUTS HER IN A STATE OF ANGER OR AGGRESSION
BECAUSE SHE'S MAD AT THE EVENT,
MAD AT IT FOR HAPPENING,
AND HAVING TO SPEND THIS TIME TO RELEARN WHAT SHE KNEW BEFORE.
IT'S A LITTLE FRUSTRATING TO GET MY HEALTH KIND OF BACK IN ORDER,
BECAUSE I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME THAT I WAS BEFORE THIS HAPPENED.
SO, THAT'S KIND OF A HARD PART FOR ME TO ACCEPT.
HOLLY: WHEN I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS GONNA BE MOVING HOME,
IT KIND OF BROKE MY HEART
BECAUSE I DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO GO HOME.
I WANTED TO TRAVEL AND SEE THE WORLD.
MY SISTER TOLD ME THAT "IT'S OK, 'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA BE STAYING WITH UNCLE CHUCK."
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY UNCLE WAS...
I CONSIDERED IT VERY SPECIAL.
CHUCK: YOU KNOW, SHE NEEDS HELP, YOU KNOW.
SHE WAS DOING HER THING IN THE SERVICE AND EVERYTHING
UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HER AND...
AND, UH, SO SHE NEEDS HELP.
THOSE THAT HAVE CAREGIVERS IN DIRECT SUPPORT
ARE CERTAINLY A LITTLE BETTER MANAGED.
THAN THOSE THAT-- THAT DON'T.
CHUCK: CAREGIVERS ARE LIKE A 24/7.
AND JUST MAKE SURE HOLLY AND LEAH GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO,
MAKE IT TO THEIR APPOINTMENTS.
YEAH, I HAVE A LIST OF ALL OF HER MEDICATION AND STUFF,
MAKE SURE SHE'S TAKING IT.
AND THEN I HAVE IT UP ON THE REFRIGERATOR, TOO,
IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS.
IF YOU'RE A CAREGIVER, JUST TAKE EVERYTHING WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
AND DO THE BEST YOU CAN.
FRANK: AS A PROVIDER, AND AS A VETERAN,
I FEEL THAT YOU'RE ONLY LIMITED
BY WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO LIMIT YOURSELF TO.
AND YOU WERE NEVER GONNA BE ABLE TO RESET AND TAKE THAT STEP BACKWARDS,
BUT EVERY STEP FORWARD IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE WHERE YOU'RE AT TODAY.
HOLLY: YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR,
AND YOU GOTTA ACCEPT WHAT'S THERE.
AND EVEN THOUGH YOU MAY NOT LIKE THE PERSON,
YOU MAY NOT LIKE CERTAIN THINGS ABOUT THEM,
UM...
BUT IF THERE'S ONE THING THAT THEY CAN DO RIGHT,
GONNA GO OFF THAT AND FEED IT.
AND IT'S JUST LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE A...A SMALL PLANT
AND YOU WANT-- AND YOU WANT IT TO GROW,
THAT'S WHAT YOU DO.
I BELIEVE THAT MISS CRABTREE'S FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT
IN THAT SHE'S GONNA BE ABLE TO DO WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO.
SHE'S BEEN GIVEN LIMITATIONS BASED ON HER INJURY
THAT HAVE, I THINK, CHANGED THE PATH THAT SHE WANTED TO GO DOWN,
BUT SHE'S SOMEBODY THAT IS VERY DRIVEN, IS VERY FOCUSED
AND FAMILY ORIENTED.
AND I THINK SHE'S GONNA HAVE A GREAT OUTCOME.
IT'S NOT EASY FOR ME, BUT THE THING IS,
YOU KNOW, I DUST OFF MY HANDS...
I, YOU KNOW, SAY, "OK, WELL, THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT.
NOW I GOTTA FIND A DIFFERENT WAY TO DO IT.