Rockville, MD, Nov. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “I died twice on the operating table, and they did 28 surgeries that helped put me back together,” said J.P. Lane, an Army combat engineer, about recovering after his vehicle hit an IED while he was serving in Afghanistan in 2011.
His injuries were severe. J.P. was in a coma for six weeks. He had lost both his legs; he had broken bones and missing teeth; his spine was dislocated from his pelvis; and he suffered numerous injuries from shrapnel. He counts 26 injuries from the blast of the IED.
Initially, J.P. was treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but was moved to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas to get his prosthetics and learn how to walk again.
“So they sent me down to San Antonio,” he explained. “I was in BAMC (Brook Army Medical Center) for a while, and the VA polytrauma center as well, both locations for quite a while. And then they finally were able to release me from the hospital and allow me to start at the Center for the Intrepid. And that's when they put me in the Fisher House.”
At the time, J.P. was going through a divorce, so most of the time he stayed at Fisher House he was alone, but he fondly remembers the way the staff was there for him. “I guess it was more difficult for me, because I didn't have anybody that I knew there with me, but the staff there was phenomenal,” he said.
During his six-month stay at Fisher House, J.P. recalls spending a lot of time in his room thinking about how he would move forward and what his life would be like. He remembers that it was the staff at Fisher House that was there for him when his family had to leave. He remembers one staff member who would always make him smile. “She was always saying, ‘Hey, J.P., how are you doing? How are you, how was therapy today?’ And stuff like that, just always checking up on me. They knew that I was by myself. They knew that I was going through divorce and, I didn't have anybody else to rely on.”
“I was very grateful for the staff over at the Fisher house, because they became like family,” he explained. “They may not have known who we were, but they were always saying hello to all the warriors and just encouraging them and putting a smile on their faces.”
J.P. explained that Fisher House gave him the privacy and space to heal from his mental wounds.
“There were moments that I remember not wanting to wake up and get out of bed,” said J.P. “It was a relaxing place to get away from the world. When I had my days that I did not want to go anywhere. I just wanted to relax and just keep to myself and have my moments and my peace just alone. That was the place to be. I stayed there and had my space and was able to just relax, pretty much recover, mentally and physically, just in my own room for a little bit, day-by-day.
Other guests were part of the healing process as well. Most staying at the Fisher House at the time were other amputees or burn victims.
“We had comradery because we were all together in a big house,” he said. “It was kind of like we're used to barracks where we sleep right next to each other and there's no privacy. Well, it was really nice to sleep next to each other in a way but had our privacy. Every family got to stay in their own room, but then if we wanted to hang out, we could go to the living room areas, where they have the games and stuff like that. And we would do that actually quite a bit.”
“We played poker, board games, and stuff like that. I honestly don't even remember watching TV,” he continued. “We were always talking and just enjoying the time together or cooking stuff in the kitchen. That was always going on. There were a lot of activities that also kept us busy. It was really good. That's for sure.”
J.P. and his wife, Crystal, now spend their time traveling and telling his story to inspire others. He recently began working for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command telling his story at the Army’s 10 Centers of Excellence. He also was a guest speaker and sang at the 2021 Department of Defense Warrior Games, an adaptive sports event that showcases the victories wounded or ill service members have achieved in recovery.
“I tell my story and teach it through a resilience side of things where we can show them they can overcome anything that they face. I am literally a walking example of being able to do so much.”
“I'm not a wounded warrior. I'm just a warrior, because I'm healed, and I'm even stronger than I used to be. People have told me, ‘Oh, you must have PTSD because of everything you've been through.’ Well, I could have PTSD if I allow that to defeat me, or I can turn around and give it up to my faith and something stronger than myself and turn PTSD into what I like to call post-traumatic successful domination. That's the kind of the mindset, the positive mindset, that we're encouraging everyone we possibly can to have.”
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