2008 Woodie Awards
Lee Woodruff shares her traumatic story
Woodruff's lecture explains how life can change in an instant
Laura Smith
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: News
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Little did she know that later that night she would receive a phone call notifying her that newsman husband, Bob Woodruff, sustained a traumatic brain injury due to an improvised explosive device (IED) which severely injured the left side of his head, while covering a story in Taji, Iraq for ABC News.
"Bob was a victim of a terrorist war," said Mrs. Woodruff, who spoke to an audience of about 150 people at Sacred Heart University last Thursday night.
What Mrs. Woodruff later found out was that while the IED went off and injured them, they were dealing with mortar fire, which made it difficult for instant help. As the medics were on their way to get Mr. Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt, they were called off because of the danger that had been occurring.
"The medics turned the radio down, ignoring the order and saved Bob and Doug's life," said Mrs. Woodruff. "This shows the bravery of the young men and women fighting in this war."
Mrs. Woodruff referred to her time while sitting by Mr. Woodruff and waiting for him to heal as, "the zone". She chose not to learn about symptoms and everything else surrounding Bob because she didn't want to assume the worst.
Mrs. Woodruff also had a difficult time in the intensive care unit (ICU) because doctors didn't know what exactly could happen next and didn't want to lead on hope.
"No one in a hospital has the right to take hope away, because this is what you need," said Mrs. Woodruff.
On the 35th day in the hospital bed, Mrs. Woodruff walked in to her husband sitting up and acting as if nothing had ever happened. As Mr. Woodruff started to heal and gain memory back, he was still having a hard time processing words and putting sentences together.
Mrs. Woodruff implied a strong value for appreciation for the war veterans after her husband's injury. She gives as much as she can when it comes to helping soldiers come home and get back into their lives- away from war.
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