THE WOODRUFFS: INSPIRATION FOR THE SEVERELY INJURED—AND OTHERS

Newsman Bob Woodruff

February 10, 2008—ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff had gone to Iraq like a good soldier six times without mishap. But on his seventh trip, the long-experienced news professional, embedded with U.S. troops, was nearly killed when a roadside bomb detonated. Today, Woodruff and his wife, Lee—a correspondent with “Good Morning America”—told a story of fear and struggle as Woodruff slowly recovered, through numerous surgeries and countless hours of rehabilitation, over the past two years.

Woodruff, the grandson of a Michigan Ford dealer, and his wife described his injuries (including shrapnel to the brain), the valiant efforts of the field hospital doctors in Iraq to keep him alive, and eventual triumph through enduring faith and the love of family, friends, and complete strangers. In addition, they emphasized the extreme value of strong support from ABC and parent company Disney—the couple never had to fill out a form or do anything except focus on recovery.

The Woodruffs’ story is also recounted in their book, In an Instant, and the couple launched the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to raise awareness of the devastation wrought by TBI. A main focus is wounded vets, of whom perhaps 30 percent have brain injuries, resulting stress, and extremely high rates of homelessness and suicide.