PTRIP is a specialized treatment program for active-duty and retired military. The unit at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, is only one of five facilities in the country, which is crucial because it treats all kinds of injuries, resulting from combat, vehicle, or training accidents. The therapy regimen is customized to the patient, and it can persist from one month up to a year, depending on the demands of the trauma.
Freedom Alliance asked PTRIP staff members Felix and Curtis to gather their patients and meet us at The Hard Shell,
Providing dinner out was not only a kind gesture, but these types of affairs are vital to the “transitional” part of the rehabilitation program. Service members participating in PTRIP must learn how to cope in public after sustaining severe injuries—essentially after relearning how to walk and talk.
We concluded the night with cheesecake and chocolate pecan pie. Before parting ways with wishes for a merry Christmas, Freedom Alliance gave each patient a “Santa Sack,” which held a box of chocolates, an ornament, and a note of gratitude from one of our supporters.