One memory I will never forget happened when I worked for DVBIC. My DVBIC job was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where they would fly in injured troops from Iraq and Afghanistan (oftentimes after a stop in Landstuhl, Germany) a couple of times a week. My normal job did not involve seeing or working with these newly injured soldiers. My job was calling and interviewing those in the study over the phone or giving neuropsych tests. This memory does involve a newly injured soldier, though.
My co-worker who usually enrolled individuals in one of our studies was going to be on leave and she had asked me to get a consent signed by a new study participant. She had been to his hospital room that day, but neither of his parents were there and she thought it was important to have his parents there. His dad was going to be back the next day.
The soldier had been hit by an IED. I can't remember a lot about his injuries, except that they were pretty extensive and he was now blind. I went into the room, saw his father was there, and began explaining why I was there. The father stopped me by asking, "What are you talking to me for?" He continued, "My son is right over there and can make his own decisions".
Feeling a bit sheepish, I went over to the soldier's bed and explained to him why I was there. I can still remember how upbeat he was despite his injuries, and I remember thinking, "Oh, I hope he stays this way through the long recovery process ahead."
He agreed to be involved in the study and he asked me if I would wrap his hand around the pen and guide it to the line where he was supposed to sign. As I moved to take my hand away after getting it positioned, he asked, "Can you keep your hand there just a little while longer?" I did. I kept my hand there through the loops of his signature. The funny thing is, I don't remember his name. What I do remember is I probably needed that hand-to-hand contact just as much as he did.
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