ATLANTA — Brent Taylor knew he was irritable, had balance issues, and was getting tired more easily. It wasn’t until he started comparing symptoms with other veterans that he ended up at the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center in Atlanta.
That’s where specialists realized he’d been living with a traumatic brain injury that had been undiagnosed for 10 years.
Taylor served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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“We just get really good at masking, and we get really good at pretending things are okay, or saying the right thing, so that people leave us alone,” he said.
The Marine told Channel 2’s Linda Stouffer that a piece of equipment hit him in the head at a firing range, but he never sought treatment.
At SHARE, doctors, neurologists, therapists and specialists work to peel back layers and years of injuries.
Jackie Breitenstein, the Program Manager of SHARE, says they provide “Top-notch, comprehensive brain injury rehabilitation for all post-9-11 active-duty, separated service members and first responders, who have either diagnosis and or symptoms of mild to moderate brain injury.”
And thanks to generous donations, it’s at no extra cost to veterans.
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Since 2008, Shepherd Center’s SHARE has cared for more than 850 veterans and first responders. The comprehensive approach is now a model for other programs around the country.
“We have men and women who have volunteered to wear the uniform and protect our freedoms. It’s the appropriate thing to do to take care of those who take care of us, our peacekeepers, our war fighters,” Breitenstein said.
Taylor now wants to help other veterans as a peer-support liaison.
“This place just really helped me turn down the noise, so that I could figure out what I wanted to be. Who I wanted to be,” he said.
You can learn more about the program, donate or apply here.
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