(Montgomery, AL) -- The need to expand the state traumatic brain injury program and services throughout the state received another push Wednesday, March 26, when TBI survivor and Army veteran Jim Walter addressed the Veterans Mental Health Steering Committee.
Jim, a resident of Etowah County who served from 1976 to 1979, discussed how years of frustration turned into optimism when he was recently connected with ADRS State TBI Program Director April Turner and her staff.
Jim struggled for decades to obtain military and medical records, and he said help from the TBI program was immediate.
“Upon speaking with Mrs. Turner, she listened to me and made me feel comfortable about talking about this, especially my situation,” he said. “She set me up with Anniston TBI Care Coordinator one of her staff members in the Anniston office, Mrs. Juanita Smith, and they have already requested my medical records inside and out of the military.”
Jim sustained his head injury during an attempted robbery in early 1978 while he was stationed at Fort Hood. He was walking to a gas station when he was attacked.
“As I was on my way back, I was struck over the head by a blunt instrument,” he said. “I don’t remember much, but I was told that I ran back to the gas station and collapsed. I was told that all of the emergency personnel responded.”
Jim fell in and out of consciousness before eventually rejoining his company. He pushed through the lingering issues of headaches, sensitivity to lights, and stiffness in his neck before being honorably discharged in 1979.
For decades, Jim endured the pain with help from anxiety medications from time to time, but in 2008 the injuries caused him to collapse. This time, the symptoms proved to be even more serious.
“It was like I didn’t know how to function,” he said. “My family tells me it was like I was a child.”
Jim had to relearn many things to return to a sense of normalcy, but again he pushed through. He suffered a major setback when a car accident in September of 2024 reaggravated his injuries.“I felt alone in how I was feeling mentally, emotionally, and cognitively,” he said. “I experienced challenges with seizures, depression, anxiety, fatigue, processing speed, and short-term memory. I continued to socially withdraw from family events and large gatherings due to overstimulation. To say I had challenges is just now a way of life for me and my family.”
When he contacted the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, Jim said he was connected to Sissy Louise Moore who gave him April’s number. After their initial discussions, he was screened for a history of head injuries and given a current symptom assessment that has proven to be extremely helpful.
“I can now take those results, see my primary physician, and begin having a conversation where at one time he was lost on what could be next,” he said.
Jim said medications have never been an effective form of treatment, but April told him this is common for those with TBIs. He said it was refreshing to hear that others faced similar challenges.
Juanita Smith, his new TBI Care Coordinator expressed this is only the beginning of understanding his injury and bringing together resources for him and his family to better understand TBI.
Jim urged the committee to continue serving veterans who have searched for services like the state TBI Program.
“It is my honor to speak on behalf of thousands of Alabamians who have had past head injuries and are looking for resources and TBI education,” he said. “Please do not let them suffer as long as I have. Put resources in place as soon as possible.”
The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) program is within the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, the lead state agency for disability services and resources in Alabama.