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February 2011: My, how time flies! The Turn Around for Vets group (32 members of San Diego Woodturners, Inc.), have not been idle. We had the Occupational Therapy group on February 3.
We had our first group of Primary Care patients (involving PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) on February 16. BUT the following Wednesday there was a command wide drill and no civilians were allowed on the base. Then, on the next Wednesday, March 2, there was rain and the session was cancelled, so we only had one session with these guys during their 8 week program. We were to get them 3 Wednesday’s out of the 8 weeks.
March 2011: We have received three additional Delta Midi lathes; two were purchased with donations from the Escondido Rotary Club and one from Christ Church Thrift Shop, Coronado. An Escondido Rotary Club member, Bob Shuster (Shuster Oil) was instrumental in obtaining two of the lathes. We now have seven Delta Midi lathes at Balboa Naval Hospital, two of which are wheelchair accessible.
A decision was made, that instead of teaching the guys to turn, we would have them create a project – pen, basting brush, ice cream scoop, weed pot, honey dipper, bowl, etc. They are overjoyed when they finish something to take with them.
We received word that the PTSD program is canceled until further notice.
April 7, 2011: We have had some wonderful experiences teaching these guys how to turn wood, but it is truly difficult to see their traumatized bodies. I remember a few months ago (February ?) that I had a young guy, accompanied by his mother, both legs gone above the knee and glob of tissue where his left hand should be. I assume that there was a hand in that tissue but I can’t imagine how the doctors would reconstruct it (and I am an Orthopaedic surgeon). I told the mother that I couldn’t imagine having my son with such major injuries – we both cried.
During this session we had eight (8) Wounded Warriors – four that needed wheelchair accessible lathes, thus we had to “share”.
May 5, 2011: Only four patients came for our Occupational Therapy session, but two were in need of the wheel chair lathes. One fella, Gunny (there are many “Gunny’s”) was in wheelchair because of a massive injury to his right leg, necessitating pins and an outrigger device, and his leg had to be straight out. He made a pen with the help of Dave Ellis.
The other 19 y/o was the most gut-wrenching, as he was a triple plus amputee. He had both legs off above the knee and his right arm at the shoulder, AND he had only three fingers and NO thumb on his left hand. Lynn, the Occupational Therapist, said also that he has NO family – what a disaster for this kid. With the “help” of Tom Lightner (our 2 star General) he turned a pen.
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