How one Veteran’s TBI recovery led her from coma to creative healing

TeleTBI aids in Veteran’s recovery

After high school, Pamela Nee joined the Air National Guard. She served for 25 years with the 193rd Special Operations Wing, deploying for Operation Desert Storm and then working as a federal technician. During her service, she survived a serious car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

“I was in a coma for four days,” she shared. “I had to learn how to walk again.”

Recovery was long, and she had to relearn how to process information and manage daily tasks. She experienced migraines and ongoing symptoms. She credits her VA care team and TeleTBI for helping her heal.

Crediting a care team that cares

Through VA’s TeleTBI program, Nee was able to meet with her providers through VA Video Connect, VA’s secure videoconferencing app, from the comfort of home.

“I was fortunate to do telehealth visits with Dr. Mi-Hyon Cho,” she said. “She was highly supportive and concerned about my physical, emotional and social well-being.”

Telehealth made it easier to stay connected to care. Regular virtual visits meant Nee could maintain consistent care without the burden of travel. Her provider asked about her health, work and family life—not just her symptoms.

That steady support made a difference.

“My wonderful VA neurology team and recreational therapy team were knowledgeable, compassionate, encouraging and great listeners,” she said.

Finding strength in new ways

Nee’s recovery was not just medical. It was personal.

“My resiliency through faith, family, friends and healthcare was key to my recovery,” she said. After retiring from the Air National Guard, she felt something was missing in her life.

“Retired Veterans are exposed to a big void after leaving the service,” she said.

She decided to get active. Through VA recreational therapy, she tried Guitars 4 Vets, equine therapy and The Seeing Lens photography program. She also participated in WriteFace, a nonprofit program that provides free, guided writing workshops for Veterans. Writing poems soon became her favorite outlet.

“I ended up finding my voice,” she said. “I participated in VA activities to grow and find something I was missing.”

A full picture of healing

Telehealth, neurology care and recreational therapy all played a role in Nee’s journey. Together, they helped her move from survival to strength.

“VA offers amazing resources to help you succeed,” she added.

For Veterans living with TBI or other challenges, VA telehealth can be a simple way to stay connected and a powerful step toward healing.

Talk to your VA care team today to learn what virtual TBI care is available and right for you. To learn more about telehealth at VA, visit the VA Telehealth Services.

“Finding Light in the Darkness” by Pamela Nee

Waves knock me down
Pummel me like galloping white horses
Ocean begins to pull me under
Blindness covers my eyes
It finds every empty corner and hole that was once filled
Now left open and empty
Water runs ice cold through my veins
Air breathes stale
My heartbeat begins to slow
Precious moments run through my mind
Forgetting all the lessons learned over time
Days filled with strife
I nearly bleed out cut by a knife
Sharks begin to circle
I want to thrash around
Remain frozen from fear I won’t be found
Not knowing how this will end
I don’t want to die
But sometimes I don’t know how to live
My soul feels flightless and hollow
Before I sink beneath the surface\\
I send up a flare
Praying that YOU will be there
Even a spark in darkness matters
A heartbeat of hope
Everyone needs something to believe in
Light finds a way to peak through the tiniest cracks
We walk by sight rather than by faith
Keep your parachute open
The sculptor’s chisel
Chip, Chip, Chip, Crack…
A small bud that blossoms
The world is an open wound
Active faith, not passive waiting
Walk through fire to reach precious feathers
Lessons learned from stormy weathers
Discovering sunshine in my pocket
Holding pictures of love in my locket
Travel the world to find home
Thrown a lifeline from above
Receive it like a message of love
Reach and hold on tight
Remembering the lesson to fight
A shattered mirror rearranged
Cuts heal over time
Scars like wind chimes keep the past present
When darkness surrounds
Stay afloat when you fall out of the boat
Choose joy even in the cracks of life