Navy Wounded Warrior, Safe Harbor Volunteer Goes the Extra Mile

HOUSTON (NNS) -- A Navy mother who volunteers on behalf of the Navy's wounded warrior program visited recovering service members June 19 at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

"When your loved one is sick, you don't want to be put on hold," said volunteer Yvonne Morrissette Lewis. "You need to focus on helping your loved one get better, not waiting for what you need. That's what I do - I step in to get these families what they need."

Lewis has served as a volunteer for Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) - Safe Harbor for nearly two years, providing invaluable support to service members enrolled in the program. Though NWW staff is stationed at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, their heavy caseload prohibits frequent in-person visits to enrollees in the Houston area.

"Ms. Lewis is like having another case manager in the Houston area, and her generosity is greatly appreciated by our shipmates," said Lt. Cmdr. Chris 'Riggs' Burks, NWW non-medical care manager, who routinely communicates with Lewis about the Houston-area enrollees she helps. "Ms. Lewis is a jewel of a lady and we are very blessed to have her on our NWW team."

NWW has provided non-medical assistance to more than 2,100 seriously wounded, ill and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen, as well as their families. Regional staff members tailor support to each enrolled service member's recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration needs. The program allows service members and their families to focus on recovery without distractions.

Lewis first became acquainted with NWW in 2009 after her son, Lt. Linzy Lewis, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. After receiving a difficult prognosis - he was told he had approximately a 10 percent chance of survival - he began treatment at MD Anderson, which was thousands of miles from his assignment aboard USS Howard in Guam.

"We didn't have that close connection with his command, and I had no idea what the next steps should be, or who could guide us through this maze," said Lewis, who took leave from her job to stay at her son's bedside. "That was very frightening as a parent. I was always wondering: What can a parent or a spouse do in this situation?"

Despite facing steep odds, Lewis's son recovered and is now cancer-free. He remained on active duty and currently is assigned to USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), which is homeported in Japan. He also now has a wife and two children.

Her experiences while her son battled cancer prompted Lewis to begin volunteering for NWW and providing guidance, advocacy and encouragement to other enrollees and their families in the Houston area.

"I always said that if God gave my child another chance, I would devote my time to helping other moms and dads and spouses in the same situation I was in. God kept his promise and I try to keep mine," said Lewis.

Lewis provides the wounded warriors in Houston - and, especially, their caregivers - support in countless ways both large and small. She said she has run errands for them, provided counsel and a listening ear, arranged child care, resolved pay issues and more.

"From meeting and welcoming military families to the Houston area, to helping them find a place to stay, to just spreading the word about what NWW does for Sailors, the list goes on and on," said Burks. "I really think she treats our enrollees as if they were her own son, Linzy, and that is something special."

For example, Lewis provided assistance to retired Petty Officer 2nd Class John Kroll, who was wounded six years ago in a helicopter crash in Iraq and suffered multiple injuries in addition to post-traumatic stress disorder. Lewis helped Kroll complete and submit important paperwork, and she assisted in securing a new home for Kroll's family from Operation Finally Home last month in Rockport, Texas.

"Every time I get a call from Lt. Cmdr. Burks about a new enrollee, I make it my business to get going with their services," said Lewis. "I treat each case as separate and distinct, and every one of them has meant a lot to me."

Enrollment in NWW is not limited to combat injuries. The program also provides non-medical care to Sailors and Coast Guardsmen battling serious illnesses or who are injured in accidents.

For more information about enrollment in NWW or volunteer opportunities, call 855-NAVY WWP (628-9995), email navywoundedwarrior@navy.mil or visit http://safeharbor.navylive.dodlive.mil.

For more news from Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cni/.