Why I Run Wednesday: Jay Briseno, Jr.

Joseph "Jay" Briseno Jr. is one of the most seriously injured soldiers to survive the Iraq war. He was shot in the back of the head at point-blank range in a Baghdad marketplace. His spinal cord was shattered, and he suffered a C3 spinal cord injury and has paralysis from the shoulders down. The bullet also caused traumatic brain injury, two cardiac arrests, and total vision loss.

Thousands of soldiers are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with devastating spinal cord injuries and drastically different lives than the ones they left behind. This is why the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has partnered with the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center and the Brain Injury Association of America to launch a new Military Outreach Campaign to improve the care and recovery of veterans and active military living with paralysis.

The Reeve Foundation is helping these courageous people find clear, accurate information to help make decisions about their treatment, from choosing the right rehab center to finding local athletic leagues. They have also set up a toll-free hotline specifically to help spinal cord injured veterans and active military with information specialists who are trained to help military personnel navigate the red tape that can present obstacles to getting the best care. This is the only service of its kind!

Also, Jay Briseno's father, Joseph Briseno (pictured above with his son), became an ambassador for the Reeve Foundation's Military Outreach Campaign and Multicultural Outreach Program. As such, he has joined Reeve Foundation representatives in visits to VA hospitals to educate medical staff about everything the PRC has to offer.

Please help the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation serve the people who have sacrificed so much for us and our country. http://teamreevenyc08.kintera.org/dawnhering