About

Scope

Our mission is to share the experiences and lessons learned after having suffered severe injuries during combat.  Through sharing these experiences, we intend to provide insight to survivors, medical providers, and policy makers at all echelons.  We stand for early identification and proper care of traumatic brain injuries.  We believe research is key to advance science in reaching new cures; science and medicine need to move forward at a fast pace.

Who we are?

We are a married couple of a US Army Retired Sergeant First Class and an epidemiologist.

SFC(Ret) Victor L. Medina

SFC(Ret) Victor Medina began active military service in 2002 and served with great distinction, completing two tours in Iraq and a tour in Afghanistan. But in June 2009, while serving his second tour in Iraq, Victor was injured when an explosive formed projectile impacted his vehicle. SFC(Ret) Medina received the Purple Heart Medal for the injuries received during this incident.  In the weeks following the blast, he felt his cognitive abilities slipping away; he also suffered from impaired vision, hearing, speech and motor skills and incessant migraine headaches. Before the injury, Victor would spend time with his wife skiing, doing Sudoku puzzles and riding motorcycles on mountain roads – activities that became impossible after the blast.

Victor has since been medically retired from military service and has received ongoing care and rehabilitation at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in Bethesda, MD – a state-of-the-art treatment facility for soldiers impacted by brain-related injuries. These treatments have allowed Victor to progress remarkably, greatly improving his speech, motor skills and cognition. He is now completing a Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Texas at El Paso.. 

When asked about TBI, Victor speaks about the importance of increasing awareness about this growing threat to soldiers and civilians. In addition, he feels that TBI often goes unrecognized or untreated, which is why educating medical providers and the public is crucial for preventing and treating TBI. “But without research, there is no progress,” he said. Research – and increased awareness of TBI – provide a wealth of resources that weren’t available to the military or the public a decade ago. We really have come a long way in a short time, yet there’s so much more to be done. Clearly, our nation needs to boost our investments in TBI and brain-related research for the sake of our soldiers and all Americans. 

SFC(RET) Medina is currently pursuing a Master's in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Texas at El Paso. His civilian and military education include a Bachelor in Business Administration with major in Accounting from the University of Puerto Rico.

Dr. Roxana E. Delgado

(Coming Soon)