"People with this injury deserve answers."
These days, United States Marine Corps veteran Nicholas Landry fights flames as a member of the Kenner Fire Department. But for more than a decade, he has waged a different battle managing the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury from his military service.
Landry joined the Marine Corps in 2013, following in the footsteps of his beloved stepfather. He trained as a machine gunner and, while stationed in North Carolina in 2014, experienced an accident he describes as “a perfect storm” of weather conditions and equipment troubles. The resulting explosion knocked him unconscious and left him with facial burns and other injuries. He received medical treatment and recalls experiencing “pounding headaches” and sensitivity to light as soon as he returned to his barracks.These symptoms continued over the course of his subsequent assignment to Twentynine Palms, a training facility in the California desert. After his second deployment to Iraq, Landry began noticing memory loss as well.
In May 2017, Landry was discharged from the military. He enrolled in Southeastern Louisiana University and recalls being able to handle the academic workload but struggling with an employer who was less-than-supportive of his work/school balance. He ultimately left school to work full-time.
“I decided [to work in the] fire department because I wanted to have a steady career,” says Landry. “For [the firefighter] tests, I studied for days, but retaining the information was very difficult for me. I had a lot of frustration and depression. It was a very tough time in my life.”
Landry tried mental health counseling and talking to friends facing similar issues, but found little relief. “I kind of lost a lot of faith in a lot of things,” recalls Landry.
He heard from another veteran about a clinic for traumatic brain injury in Florida, but a young son and demanding career made traveling for care impractical. Then, his wife learned of the Tulane University Center for Brain Health (TUCBH) Veteran program.
“I looked into it, e-mailed, and got a response back pretty quick,” says Landry, who was accepted into the Center’s three-day evaluation program. During the evaluation, he met with a team of physicians and specialists who developed a care plan based on his symptoms and needs and provided additional resources for continuing care.
“It was awesome,” says Landry. “I felt like I got a lot of answers from the team.”
“People with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts — they might feel like the road has ended, but it’s just a curve. Sometimes you take that curve, and you go to a place like Center for Brain Health, and you realize there’s hope.”
The three-day evaluation offers veterans access to a comprehensive care team, which many would otherwise find cost-prohibitive, with a customized itinerary. Providers communicate with one another to facilitate the development of a care plan, sparing veterans like Landry a lot of difficult coordination.
During his evaluation, Landry met with a physical therapist, nutritionist, and neurologist and received diagnostic radiological services. “It was different than anything else I’ve done,” he says. “Being given all of these tools, plus a team of people who are there just for me — to orchestrate it all so perfectly — it was a breath of fresh air. You get the answers that you want, but you don’t have the normal private healthcare/VA healthcare hassle.”
Landry also holds the distinction of being the 200th Veteran to participate in the program.
“It’s a cool milestone, knowing there’s at least 200 other Veterans who have experienced what I did,” he says. “I hope there’s way more. People with this injury deserve answers. People with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts — they might feel like the road has ended, but it’s just a curve. Sometimes you take that curve, and you go to a place like [Center for Brain Health], and you realize there’s hope.”
Since participating in the TUCBH program, Landry says he feels “in general, a lot better.” Though he still faces headaches and memory issues, he has applied the program’s recommendations and resources for physical therapy, mental health, and other areas to navigate challenges.
“Being able to get answers that help me in life — or with my family — means the world.”