thedrifter
03-31-08, 09:33 AM
Injured vet's mother fights for his recovery
Posted by jmcfarla March 31, 2008 08:11AM
Her son critically injured in a war she didn't want him to fight, Kochville Township's Diane G. Love is championing her son's greatest battle.
A bomb blast injured Marine Cpl. Andrew E. Love, 24, two weeks into his Iraq tour, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury and broken, battered limbs.
The Saginaw NewsAndrew E. Love, 24, of Kochville suffered serious injury while serving in Iraq with the Marine Corps. He is pictured with mother Diane G. Love, 47, of Kochville.
"I couldn't talk him out of going into the military," Diane Love said. "He was going to (Delta College) part-time to become a police officer and working two jobs. That's why he chose the Reserves. He went to boot camp during wartime. He could have made the Marines a career.
"But that got taken away from him. He got everything taken away from him because of what happened."
The roadside bomb that exploded Oct. 10, 2006, nearly killed Love, a member of Saginaw-based Company B, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division.
After seven months of their son's treatment in Minneapolis, Minn., Diane Love and her husband, Alan, pressed Sen. Carl Levin and Veterans Affairs to get her son the best care available locally.
"I put my foot down on the location for his treatment," his mother said. "I did research. I could have cared for him myself, but it would have been like putting him in a closet because he needs the therapies. We fought for him. We had to figure out where he was going when he left the VA hospital."
Andrew Love lives at Riversbend Rehabilitation and Center for the Brain Injured in Bay City, a supported living facility that offers daily rehabilitation. He shares a home with five other men.
"His case is an example of how the VA and private sector can work together to find treatment for veterans," said Lindsey Grossocq, spokeswoman with the Brighton-based Brain Injury Association of Michigan, which worked with the Love family. "Our association is trying to work with the VA to get more people referred to private facilities when needed."
Diane Love didn't leave her son's side as hospital therapists pushed him to come back. He seemed to have no fear of falling or choking, but she had to trust, she said.
She never questioned his recovery was going to be a marathon instead of a sprint.
"He's already come farther than they thought he would," Love said. "His brain is quietly waking up."
Andrew Love doesn't remember the assault that injured him, his mom said. But his memory is coming back, and he knows his family and friends who have stuck by him. He hasn't shown signs of combat stress.
"He knows he got hurt because we told him about it," Diane Love said. "I pray he doesn't remember it. Some never do."
Diane Love said she balances between hoping for her son and accepting the uncertainty of his future. She said she wants him to have goals but not push too fast.
"When he was in the hospital, I told him if he wants to get out, he has to graduate. ... He is trapped right now, and it breaks my heart. He wants to have what everyone else has."
Ellie
Posted by jmcfarla March 31, 2008 08:11AM
Her son critically injured in a war she didn't want him to fight, Kochville Township's Diane G. Love is championing her son's greatest battle.
A bomb blast injured Marine Cpl. Andrew E. Love, 24, two weeks into his Iraq tour, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury and broken, battered limbs.
The Saginaw NewsAndrew E. Love, 24, of Kochville suffered serious injury while serving in Iraq with the Marine Corps. He is pictured with mother Diane G. Love, 47, of Kochville.
"I couldn't talk him out of going into the military," Diane Love said. "He was going to (Delta College) part-time to become a police officer and working two jobs. That's why he chose the Reserves. He went to boot camp during wartime. He could have made the Marines a career.
"But that got taken away from him. He got everything taken away from him because of what happened."
The roadside bomb that exploded Oct. 10, 2006, nearly killed Love, a member of Saginaw-based Company B, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division.
After seven months of their son's treatment in Minneapolis, Minn., Diane Love and her husband, Alan, pressed Sen. Carl Levin and Veterans Affairs to get her son the best care available locally.
"I put my foot down on the location for his treatment," his mother said. "I did research. I could have cared for him myself, but it would have been like putting him in a closet because he needs the therapies. We fought for him. We had to figure out where he was going when he left the VA hospital."
Andrew Love lives at Riversbend Rehabilitation and Center for the Brain Injured in Bay City, a supported living facility that offers daily rehabilitation. He shares a home with five other men.
"His case is an example of how the VA and private sector can work together to find treatment for veterans," said Lindsey Grossocq, spokeswoman with the Brighton-based Brain Injury Association of Michigan, which worked with the Love family. "Our association is trying to work with the VA to get more people referred to private facilities when needed."
Diane Love didn't leave her son's side as hospital therapists pushed him to come back. He seemed to have no fear of falling or choking, but she had to trust, she said.
She never questioned his recovery was going to be a marathon instead of a sprint.
"He's already come farther than they thought he would," Love said. "His brain is quietly waking up."
Andrew Love doesn't remember the assault that injured him, his mom said. But his memory is coming back, and he knows his family and friends who have stuck by him. He hasn't shown signs of combat stress.
"He knows he got hurt because we told him about it," Diane Love said. "I pray he doesn't remember it. Some never do."
Diane Love said she balances between hoping for her son and accepting the uncertainty of his future. She said she wants him to have goals but not push too fast.
"When he was in the hospital, I told him if he wants to get out, he has to graduate. ... He is trapped right now, and it breaks my heart. He wants to have what everyone else has."
Ellie