Judy Woodruff
Senior correspondent, PBS's The Newshour with Jim Lehrer
Supporter of Kennedy Krieger Institute
Mother of Jeffrey, 27; Benjamin, 22; and Lauren, 19
"Our son Jeffrey was born with spina bifida, the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the U.S. Even so, Jeffrey walked at 13 months, learned to ski and bike, and, though he had some learning disabilities, was at grade level in school. When he was 16, he had a routine surgery related to spina bifida. Something went wrong, and he suffered a brain injury. Jeffrey came out of surgery a profoundly different person. He couldn't walk. His speech and vision were impaired. We brought him to Kennedy Krieger, a pediatric neurorehabilitation hospital in Baltimore. The head of physical therapy hugged Jeffrey and said, 'You're going to come out of here doing as well as you possibly can.' The specialists were amazing, and Jeffrey came home after four months having made great progress, but still facing enormous challenges. He then attended Kennedy Krieger's transitional school for children who are recovering from a severe health crisis. Jeffrey continues to need help with almost everything, from getting out of bed to going to the bathroom. But this year, he is expected to finish college. Without Kennedy Krieger, I can't imagine where Jeffrey would be today. It gives families a sense of hope—and that hope is still with me today."
See how you can join Judy Woodruff and all the current and past Smart Cookie honorees in making the world a better place at ChangingThePresent.org/cookie.
