When I first heard about Bob Woodruff's near tragic accident in Iraq, I'll admit I didn't know who he was. I don't watch network "world" news, and don't know the reporters and anchors. But, that doesn't matter here.
Lee Woodruff, Bob's wife, was in town yesterday. She spoke to more than 325 people at a stirring Junior League of Milwaukee event at The Pfister Hotel. I was there, with many from our team, since OnMilwaukee.com was the presenting media partner. "Stirring," is probably putting it lightly.
Lee garnered critical acclaim for her book, "In an Instant," the compelling and humorous chronicle of her family's journey to recovery following her husband's roadside bomb and brain injury in Iraq. She was passionate, funny and inspirational.
Some highlights, in case you missed it:
-Her advice for those in near tragic and/or trying medical situations with family was priceless. She suggested using the "chit" method to ward off those who really want to help, but can be overbearing. Noting that the volume of people wanting to help was so large, that she had one person make return calls to tell friends and family that when we need you and / or a favor, please know that we'll let you know. Good advice.
-Woodruff's book, now in paperback, features new words straight from the mouths of the Woodruff's four children. It's hard to read and not cry.
-Sixty percent of the service members wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom have sustained blast injuries, and two-thirds of them have Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), according to the Department of Defense. Besides wartime TBI, falls, motor vehicle crashes, assaults and sports / recreation accidents cause brain injuries. Some 1.4 million Americans sustain a TBI every year -- one every 23 seconds.
-Bob still struggles with words. Once when his now-7-year-old twin daughters were in the car, he told them to put on strappers, instead of seat belts, his wife, Lee Woodruff, recalled in a phone interview.
-On how she wrote the book (she's working on a second book too): Each night, when she'd get back from the hospital, "I'd turn the computer on and just dump my day into the computer. I was probably trying to say, 'OK, this could be OK.'"
-Doctor's must communicate their messages, in all near tragic situations, with a much bigger sense of hope.
-On waiting for things to get back to normal. "I wanted normal in such an achingly passionate way."
Congrats to the Junior League for a wonderful event.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
