frerottenextelway
10-16-2008, 03:18 PM
Udall will be the next Senator of New Mexico.
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Edit: Press Release
October 16, 2008
In 2005, Specialist Erik Schei was shot in the head by a sniper in Iraq. The doctors put his chance of survival at zero. With the right treatment, Sergeant Schei was able to not only live, but can now communicate with others.
"HUMBLED" – Released October 16, 2008
SCRIPT and FACTS
ERIK SCHEI: My name is Erik Schei. Three years ago I was an Army Sergeant in Iraq and I was shot in the head by a sniper. The doctors said I wouldn’t survive But I am still here and I am getting better.
FACT: From the Associated Press, January 22, 2008: In October 2005, Erik was a 21-year-old Army sergeant serving in Mosul, Iraq, as a machine-gunner with the Army’s 94th Engineer Battalion. A sniper’s bullet pierced the right side of his helmet and passed through both frontal lobes of his brain.
"They gave him zero chance of survival," Erik’s father, Gordon Schei, said. "They said if he did survive, he would be a vegetable. They wanted us to pull the plug on him. But we dug deep.
"We’re people of faith, and we brought him home, and today he communicates with people. He laughs, he’s standing — not on his own, but with help. He’s doing so many things."
Erik uses a wheelchair and lives with his parents and 7-year-old sister in the Rio Rancho home his parents helped him purchase in August. The family moved from Taos to be closer to the VA hospital.
He is constantly impressing his parents, friends and therapists with the improvements he is making. He now speaks one or two words at a time. Often, "annoying" is one of them, speaking of his sister, said Christine Schei, laughing. He has a computer attached to his wheelchair, which often speaks for him. He activates it with his head.
"We’re also teaching him to feed himself, which takes a lot of effort," Christine Schei said. "His brain just seems to have forgotten which muscles to use."
There are some things, however, that his brain has not forgotten how to do. "He knows how to read, which was a shock to all of us," she said. "They held up cards and he mouthed the words. A lot of times, it’s a whisper. It’s not real loud. We have to push him sometimes, ‘Erik louder, try harder.’ He has been our miracle child. We have great expectations, and hopefully by the end of next year, he can walk in a walker even if it’s just two or three steps."
Erik has occupational and physical therapists come to the house three times a week, and a speech therapist comes twice a week. His mother also drives him to speech therapy three times a week.
"My hope is for him to be able to live independently, to be able to take care of himself and not be dependent on anyone else," Gordon Schei said. "He’s always going to need some kind of help. Right now, he needs 24-hour care, but nobody thought he would get as far as he is right now, so there’s no sense in thinking he won’t get further."
ERIK SCHEI: I want to thank Tom Udall for getting more funding for treatment of brain trauma for veterans. For me that means everything.
FACT: As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Tom Udall pushed for and voted in support of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability
Appropriations Act of 2007 which became Public Law 110-28. It included $600 million in funding for post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. Additionally, Congressman Udall has consistently voted in support of increasing funding for veteran’s health care and served for eight years as a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
TOM UDALL: I’m Tom Udall and I am humbled to approve this message.
FACT: It is a moral imperative to provide our veterans with the care they need and opportunities they deserve when they get home. Tom Udall’s father, Stewart, served as a waist gunner in the Army Air Corps during World War II. This instilled in him the moral responsibility we have to the honorable men and women who serve our nation in uniform. During to his time in Congress, including eight years serving on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tom Udall has worked hard on behalf of our veterans. He is humbled to have
the support of Erik Schei and honored to have been endorsed by the VFW-PAC which represents 2.2 million veterans.
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Edit: Press Release
October 16, 2008
In 2005, Specialist Erik Schei was shot in the head by a sniper in Iraq. The doctors put his chance of survival at zero. With the right treatment, Sergeant Schei was able to not only live, but can now communicate with others.
"HUMBLED" – Released October 16, 2008
SCRIPT and FACTS
ERIK SCHEI: My name is Erik Schei. Three years ago I was an Army Sergeant in Iraq and I was shot in the head by a sniper. The doctors said I wouldn’t survive But I am still here and I am getting better.
FACT: From the Associated Press, January 22, 2008: In October 2005, Erik was a 21-year-old Army sergeant serving in Mosul, Iraq, as a machine-gunner with the Army’s 94th Engineer Battalion. A sniper’s bullet pierced the right side of his helmet and passed through both frontal lobes of his brain.
"They gave him zero chance of survival," Erik’s father, Gordon Schei, said. "They said if he did survive, he would be a vegetable. They wanted us to pull the plug on him. But we dug deep.
"We’re people of faith, and we brought him home, and today he communicates with people. He laughs, he’s standing — not on his own, but with help. He’s doing so many things."
Erik uses a wheelchair and lives with his parents and 7-year-old sister in the Rio Rancho home his parents helped him purchase in August. The family moved from Taos to be closer to the VA hospital.
He is constantly impressing his parents, friends and therapists with the improvements he is making. He now speaks one or two words at a time. Often, "annoying" is one of them, speaking of his sister, said Christine Schei, laughing. He has a computer attached to his wheelchair, which often speaks for him. He activates it with his head.
"We’re also teaching him to feed himself, which takes a lot of effort," Christine Schei said. "His brain just seems to have forgotten which muscles to use."
There are some things, however, that his brain has not forgotten how to do. "He knows how to read, which was a shock to all of us," she said. "They held up cards and he mouthed the words. A lot of times, it’s a whisper. It’s not real loud. We have to push him sometimes, ‘Erik louder, try harder.’ He has been our miracle child. We have great expectations, and hopefully by the end of next year, he can walk in a walker even if it’s just two or three steps."
Erik has occupational and physical therapists come to the house three times a week, and a speech therapist comes twice a week. His mother also drives him to speech therapy three times a week.
"My hope is for him to be able to live independently, to be able to take care of himself and not be dependent on anyone else," Gordon Schei said. "He’s always going to need some kind of help. Right now, he needs 24-hour care, but nobody thought he would get as far as he is right now, so there’s no sense in thinking he won’t get further."
ERIK SCHEI: I want to thank Tom Udall for getting more funding for treatment of brain trauma for veterans. For me that means everything.
FACT: As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Tom Udall pushed for and voted in support of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability
Appropriations Act of 2007 which became Public Law 110-28. It included $600 million in funding for post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. Additionally, Congressman Udall has consistently voted in support of increasing funding for veteran’s health care and served for eight years as a member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
TOM UDALL: I’m Tom Udall and I am humbled to approve this message.
FACT: It is a moral imperative to provide our veterans with the care they need and opportunities they deserve when they get home. Tom Udall’s father, Stewart, served as a waist gunner in the Army Air Corps during World War II. This instilled in him the moral responsibility we have to the honorable men and women who serve our nation in uniform. During to his time in Congress, including eight years serving on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tom Udall has worked hard on behalf of our veterans. He is humbled to have
the support of Erik Schei and honored to have been endorsed by the VFW-PAC which represents 2.2 million veterans.