'We Have Lives Post-Service. We Need to Take Care of Ourselves'
Army vet Jennifer Boston went from withdrawn and paranoid to confident and outgoing thanks to the SHARE Military Initiative
Private First Class Jennifer Boston knew who she was pre-injury. Outgoing. Bubbly. Miss Get Things Done.
She designed clothing and shoe lines. She traveled extensively, especially as a civilian employee following her separation from the Army — to places like Japan, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Cuba. And she wrote children’s books, including one about relocating her family from Atlanta to Tokyo, written from the perspective of her then 5-year-old daughter, Juju.
Jennifer did not recognize who she was post-injury.
A traumatic brain injury she sustained while working in a civilian role in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, seemed to sap her of her confidence and her motor skills. She became reserved. Paranoid. At times, she wanted to disappear.
Thankfully, a referral led her to Shepherd Center’s SHARE Military Initiative. The program serves military veterans, service members, and first responders with traumatic brain injuries and mental health concerns.
Jennifer was skeptical. Still guarded, still reticent to share. But, she soon felt at ease among the camaraderie of her fellow veterans.
“Next thing I know, I started opening up. We’re all connected through our service, our injuries. Once I started participating, everyone was so supportive,” Jennifer says.
Similarly, Jennifer was unsure, at first, about all the activities available within SHARE. “I mean, it was awesome. But tai chi in the pool? Music classes? Yoga? Horticulture? What is this place? How is all this helping my condition?”
Slowly but surely, Jennifer realized the answer. Paired with her new treatment plan and therapy sessions, these activities were helping her heal. And showing her that living life was possible again.
“I went from totally withdrawn to fully immersed. From ‘why’ to ‘wow,’” Jennifer recalls. “I started feeling like a person again. Not a shell, not an outcast.”
She also considers herself a lifetime ambassador for SHARE.
“Our time in service is usually a small percentage of veterans’ lives. We have families, we have lives post-service. We need to take care of ourselves, for the sake of those around us, too."
Written by Phillip Jordan
With five decades of experience, Shepherd Center provides world-class clinical care, research, and family support for people experiencing the most complex conditions, including spinal cord and brain injuries, multi-trauma, traumatic amputations, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and pain. An elite center ranked by U.S. News as one of the nation’s top hospitals for rehabilitation, Shepherd Center is also recognized as both Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Shepherd Center treats thousands of patients annually with unmatched expertise and unwavering compassion to help them begin again.