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Veterans and service members facing traumatic brain injuries find support through Operation TBI Freedom

Operation TBII Freedom offers resources and care to help military personnel cope with invisible injuries that change lives.
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COLORADO SPRINGS — Operation TBI Freedom is a program of Craig Hospital near Denver. It provides support and resources for active duty military members and the veteran community.

Brandon Jardine served in the Army for more than twenty years.

"It's an invisible injury that you can't see... So I really thought it was going to get better eventually, and unfortunately, it didn't," said Jardine.

Steven Smith is the program director for T-B-I Freedom.

He says you can't always see the challenges that people who are living with a traumatic brain injury sometimes face.

"It's frustrating for a veteran or transitioning service member to articulate and describe the challenges that they're going through, and a lot of times folks will just say, hey, that person's crazy or that person's dumb or whatever, and that's not the case. They have been injured and, you know, while they don't have a scar like a burned face or a missing limb, their struggle is just as real," he says.

Brandon tells News5 that having access to traumatic brain injury care can make his future a little bit brighter.

"I realized that, one, I have to accept that it's not going to get completely better. However, I can do things to make my life better."

To see more information about operation TBI Freedom, click here.

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