Young, Active War Wounded Pushing Medical Science

Created: 07/04/2014 5:58 AM

In this photo taken on June 10, 2014, retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. Brian Meyer dries the sweat off his prosthetic arm at the Wounded Warrior Hope & Care Center in Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Photo: Photo: AP/Gregory Bull

The blood is not the most jarring part of the photograph taken shortly after the bomb blew off Marine Gunnery Sgt. Brian Meyer's leg and hand.
It's his smile.
Doctors say a positive attitude is key to recovery, so the study will also examine mental resilience and why some troops have it and others don't.  It will rely on Web-based, telephone and mailed surveys conducted every six months about mobility, ability to function and social activity. Researchers will also analyze military databases detailing clinical encounters with each service member injured while deployed.
Cmdr. Peter Shumaker, chief of dermatology at Naval Medical Center San Diego, helped pioneer the use of an ablative laser - commonly used to smooth wrinkled or acne-scarred skin - to ease Meyer's scar tissue, dramatically improving the range of motion in his fingers, among other things.
"It's a privilege to work with soldiers and Marines, like Brian, because they're young and motivated and healthy and they can go farther than we ever thought," Shumaker said. "They don't want to just walk, they want to do things that their colleagues are doing, their friends are doing."
"I focus on what I have left, not what I lost," Meyer said.
"These are not special, scar lasers or special, wounded warrior lasers," Shumaker said. "We've taken these techniques that are primarily used for cosmetic purposes and altered them a bit to apply to trauma rehabilitation."
Such unconventional treatments make a big difference in daily life, veterans and their doctors say. One soldier's scar tissue has softened so he can grasp his daughter's hand; another can now type.
"What we want is for a guy in the coolest car to drive into a handicap spot and have people be like, 'What's this guy doing?' Then they see him get out with his prosthetic legs," said Meyer, whose prosthetic leg sports a sticker of Bill Murray and the word "Laugh."
Meyer works for the Injured Marines Semper Fi Fund, counseling fellow combat veterans. He loves the photograph taken after he was injured because "it's the exact opposite of what somebody expects you to do. So when I show it to people and they are inspired by it, instead of being shocked, I know they get it."
