RESURRECTING LIVES
Foundation

Advocating for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury

Our real-life super heroesBy Chrisanne Gordon, MDOur chaotic world continues to push us toward stressful uncertainty. War, civil unrest, poverty and the continuing pandemic all increase the burdens of everyday life.Many people find comfort in popular shows featuring individuals with superhuman abilities fixing the world’s problems. We love our super heroes. There’s only one problem. They don’t exist.Fortunately, America is home to real action heroes. It always has been. We interact with many real-life action figures every day. The men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan saw the chaos in the world and wanted to fix it. They wanted to serve their nation and protect the vulnerable.We honor them, and all our veterans on Veterans Day. To them, service is in their DNA. They wanted to protect, to serve and to help. The fact is these true-life super heroes never really stopped giving. After their tours of duty and military careers were over, many became paramedics, firefighters, police officers, community leader and public servants. After all, they are named “service personnel” for that reason.As we reflect on their bravery, commitment and strength, it’s not enough to simply say “thank you for your service.”We them owe them much more than just gratitude. We owe it to them to protect our nation and keep it whole. We owe it to them to make sure that every veteran has the right to excellent health care, education and employment. We owe it to them to care for their wounds of war, and keep them whole as well.Thousands of veterans continue to struggle with service-related injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which often accompanies a brain injury.Nearly 450,000 combat veterans have returned from their tours of duty in either Iraq or Afghanistan with TBI sustained from an improvised explosive device blast, the explosion of a rocket-propelled grenade or the concussive force of heavy artillery. All are struggling with a potentially devastating, yet outwardly invisible consequence of service to our nation.TBI often goes undiagnosed because it often doesn’t appear on standard MRIs. This invisible injury can lead to substance abuse, unemployment, homelessness, and the final stop on the downward spiral, suicide.Organizations like the Ohio-based Resurrecting Lives Foundation help veterans with TBI receive the expert medical care, rehabilitation and community support services they need for a successful civilian life. Our goal is to keep former military service members in “service” to their families and communities by collaborating for their brain health.This Veterans Day we must demonstrate gratitude through our actions and assist combat veterans with patience, compassion, honor, and the needed medical care that will help ease their sustained integration into the community.The cost of doing nothing is too great to these brave men and women and their families. It will also be a great loss to our society.Our veterans represent the most diverse population in the nation. They learned to serve together, and volunteered their lives for their brothers and sisters in arms – irrespective of the economic, ethnic or other differences. They have learned to communicate under extreme life and death matters. And, they are amazing problem solvers. These are our real-life super heroes ready to serve and protect us. Their service will be denied to society if we don’t give them the medical care and community support they need to recover from TBI and other invisible combat injuries.If you are a veteran or know a veteran suffering from TBI, PTSD or other difficulties, please contact us at resurrectinglives.org. We will assist you in navigating your path to recovery.Let’s pledge to support our veterans. We can make a difference in their lives – and hopefully reaffirm their lives. You know they won’t think twice about saving ours. That’s because they’re heroes, and the world needs them now more than ever.Resurrect a HERO – Strengthen a Nation ###Dr. Chrisanne Gordon is the founder of the Ohio-based Resurrecting Lives Foundation, a nonprofit collaborating with services for Global War on Terror veterans struggling with a Traumatic Brain Injury.

Resurrecting Lives Foundation is Proud to Partner with Pisano Artistry

Chief Joe Pisano was born in the Philippines and adopted by a USN Chief and his wife into an Italian-American family. His family settled in Chula Vista, California, where he developed, early on, a passion for Art. His art journey is extensive, throughout high school and beyond, but it was recently, while deploying to serve our nation as a navy reservist Chief that he truly released his talent and passion.

In 2018, Chief Pisano created the American Flag with a sense of hyperrealism. He was drawn towards a ‘different’ technique utilizing drywall screws as utilized by the artist/sculptor, Andrew Meyers. Chief analyzed the technique and “married” it to the image of the Flag. The Flag creation, entitled Stand Together– A Veterans’ Flag, launched a new level of commitment in his journey.

Currently he is creating a War Memorial entitled The Art of Immortalizing Heroes at his studio in Liberty Station, California. It is a seven Panel piece depicting WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Global War on Terrorism, Funeral Honors and Unsung Heroes and a corrugated wall featuring The Vietnam Memorial Wall and the Freedom Wall. This project has involved nearly 1500 volunteer Veterans and community members, of which approximately 1000 volunteers are grade school youth and special needs adults.

Resurrecting Lives Foundation proudly sponsored the panel for our veterans who served in the Global War on Terror. It is a tribute to the fallen, as well as those brave men and women who returned, and we are proud to increase the nation’s awareness of your service by this amazing art creation. Please watch the link below revealing the preview of our panel, the Battlefield Cross, highlighted on the USS Midway on Memorial Day, 2022.

We are currently offering sponsorship packages for Chief Pisano’s War Memorial which has engaged thousands already, and which will serve as a symbol of History and Honor and Healing for many generations to come. To make a donation and a difference in the lives of our veterans and their families, please click HERE

THANK you all for your service as well as your amazing generosity and support.

To learn more about this amazing military memorial, please visit our upcoming events page.

In 2020, Artist and songwriter Timothy Baechle wrote and composed the song Brainstorms, to encapsulate the turbulent journey of veterans experiencing a traumatic brain injury. The song transcends veterans and resonates with anyone who has battled and triumphed over personal demons and the tragedies that life deals us. Citizen patriot, Sergio Ciccone graciously took the song and set it to scenes of a soldier’s life. This holiday season, we hope you remember the sacrifice of our veterans and the brainstorms that they may encounter daily – and make 2022 the year that we take action and bring the Morning Light to their lives.

Our Mission

To coordinate & advocate for the successful transition to a post-military career & life for veterans with TBI

Give now to our 2022 campaign by texting “VETS2022” to 44-321 or clicking the button below

Donate

We Envision

A near future when veterans with TBI are properly diagnosed & supported throughout their successful transition following the military.

“Through the meditation training program funded by RLF, I became human again, came back from the dead; I was resurrected. I am a better teacher, a better father, a better husband.”
Corey O’Brien US Army & Ohio National Guard Veteran