GUEST FAMILY PROFILE Story and photos by Ashley Estill
NAME: SNYDER FAMILY HOUSE: CHARLIE NORWOOD VA MEDICAL CENTER – AUGUSTA, GA HOME STATE: FLORIDA MILITARY BRANCH: NAVY
To date, Fisher Houses have provided over five million nights of lodging to more than 180,000 families since the Fisher House program began. For wounded, injured or ill service members, that means having your family by your side when you need them the most. Navy Lt. Brad Snyder is just one of those service members who had his family by his side during his road to recovery. “In September 2011, I was embedded with an assault unit based in Kandahar, Afghanistan,” Brad explained. “On patrol from one village to another, two of our Afghan soldier brothers were injured pretty badly in an IED accident. I was rendering aid and failed to identify a secondary device. In the ensuing blast, I sustained serious injuries to my face and broke my hand.” Unfortunately, Brad lost his vision. Because Brad’s injuries were limited from the neck down, he was able to get back into the rehab setting pretty quickly at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Physically able to begin rehabilitation is just one part of the process; coming to terms with your “new normal” is another. “A week went by before I was able to grasp what was going on and identify with the fact that I was going to be blind for the rest of my life,” Brad said. “The support I received from my family and friends was incredible and left me no choice but to move on.” 4
THE PATRIOT • VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 2 • 2013
Navy Lt. Brad Snyder
