Healing The Wounds Of War

New Population Of Wounded Veterans Emerges

(CBS) 
When she arrived in Washington, a doctor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center wrote that Jessica would probably remain in a permanent vegetative state.

"They only gave me a two-percent chance of coming out of the coma and living, surviving," says Jessica. "Somebody has to be in that two percent, though. Why not me?"

She remembers enduring a "ridiculous amount" of pain along the way. "I hate to admit this, but there were days when I wondered to myself if I would have been better off had I not made it because I was in so much pain," she says.

Asked if she is still in pain, Jessica says, "Right now I have a shooting pain that's going from right above my ear over to this side. It's kind of going diagonally across. But it's nothing. I'm used to it. Every day I have some sort of pain going on in this head. But I manage it. It's not a bad thing."

The constant pain, sporadic seizures, and bouts of anger still can't compare with what she's already endured: re-learning how to walk and talk and more.

"Basically I had to re-learn how to think again and how to figure things out. I did have to learn how to walk again," she explains. "One day I remember I sat back in bed and I moved my leg about an inch trying to get it up on the bed. I had only moved about an inch. But I had never been so happy before. I was just excited. OK, great. It moved an inch. So that motivated me. OK, tomorrow, I’m gonna try for two inches, see if I can get it going again."

During the interview, Jessica smiled and was optimistic.

"After what I've been through, I can't help but to be positive about things," she says.

Asked what the source of her optimism is, she says, "Sometimes I wonder the same thing. How I'm so strong and able to get on with my day. But I just, I actually prefer myself and the person that I am now than the person that I used to be before this injury.

"What do you mean?" Wallace asks.

"I think I'm a better person now. I'm not as judgmental," she says. "I don't take anything for granted anymore."

Jessica says believes she survived for a reason and that she now knows what that reason is. "I believe that it's to help other people. So I decided to go into social work," she says.
"I would like to work for the VA or the DAV, the Disabled American Veterans association. So I can help other veterans. I’m still a soldier at heart.".

"I’m still a soldier. Even though I’m discharged from the Army—medically discharged, I’m always gonna be a soldier," Jessica says. "And I’m always gonna have that mentality. So if I can continue to help other soldiers, other veterans, that’s what I really want to do."

What message would she like to send to other wounded vets?

"I would love to tell them just to not give up," she says. "And no matter how bad your pain is, remember that tomorrow is a new day. Just keep that in mind, and just please stay positive. And you will get through this."

"No matter how much it hurts. No matter how long it takes to recover," Wallace asks.

"That's right," she replies. "And for them to know that they're not alone. They are not alone."