[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3420]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH--HONORING SERGEANT FIRST CLASS 
                             VICTOR MEDINA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 13, 2012

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, as our nation recognizes Traumatic Brain 
Injury Awareness Month, I rise to honor Sergeant First Class Victor 
Medina who was wounded in Iraq by an Improvised Explosive Device. 
Victor and his wife Roxana Delgado continue to work selflessly to 
provide encouragement and support for his fellow Wounded Warriors, even 
as they deal with the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
  SFC Victor Medina was wounded in the summer of 2009 by an explosive 
formed projectile while in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 
blast left SFC Medina with TBI, and he spent nearly two months 
receiving care at the Department of Defense's Landstuhl Regional 
Medical Center in Germany before returning home to El Paso, Texas.
  After 16 months of rehabilitation, SFC Medina still copes with 
lingering side effects. He continues to have problems with vision, 
hearing, balance, headaches, and speech; however, regardless of his 
symptoms SFC Medina's believes that `with or without injury we are all 
responsible for our actions and our future. Life is about decisions, 
and you can choose to stand up and make the best out of your life.' SFC 
Medina did just that. He chose not to be a victim; he chose to be a 
warrior. Since then, SFC Medina has been empowering and motivating 
others struggling with TBI to set their sights on a brighter future.
  SFC Medina along with his wife, Roxana Delgado, created a blog during 
his recovery to provide insight on the effects of TBI. The couple has 
written about their struggles and triumphs in dealing with the issue, 
and their blog eventually morphed into a Web site, www.tbiwarrior.com. 
The blog raises awareness and understanding of TBI and serves to 
empower survivors and caregivers through education and advocacy while 
providing resources to heal with hope.
  Each year approximately 1.7 million Americans experience TBI, and an 
estimated 3.2 million Americans are living with severe, long-term 
disabilities caused by it. TBI has been named the signature injury for 
troops wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq with an estimated 360,000 brain-
injured men and women returning home from the battlefield.
  As we commemorate National Traumatic Brain Injury Month, it is my 
great honor to share Victor and Roxana's story for inclusion in the 
Congressional Record and to recognize their outstanding contributions 
to the Traumatic Brain Injury warrior community in El Paso, in the 
State of Texas, and throughout our nation.
  Brave service members like SFC Medina answer the call of duty and 
make tremendous sacrifices for our country. As a combat veteran myself, 
I salute all of our courageous men and women in the Armed Forces and 
the families who support them. For SFC Medina and other TBI warriors, 
TBI is not the end; it can be a new beginning.

                          ____________________