This is an excerpt of my first book Camera Boy: An Army Journalist’s War in Iraq.

“….When we reached the target house, just as rehearsed, we climbed the wall one by one, silent as mice stealing cheese. My nerves were running wild. I jumped off the soldier ladder and found myself on top of the ten-foot wall. It began to wobble. The third-world structure shook like a hip-hop dance floor. My legs and hands began to tremble. I passed my weapon, butt first, to a soldier on the other side. I slung the camera over my back, and with all my might and determination, attempted to reach the other side. With both hands firmly on top, steadying myself, I hoisted my left leg, straddling the wall.

“I made it, both legs straddling the top. Just as I was about to leap to the other side, the bricks and mortar crumbled. Blocks crashed onto my head, hands and camera. My left thumb was throbbing and I heard, but did not feel, a loud crack against my head. I fell to the ground face first, my nose filled with sandy loam soil and other earthy contents. Rocks kept tumbling on me. Glass shattered. It was my Nikkor lens. I stood up, not knowing where I was for a second or my purpose. Somebody yelled something, but I couldn’t make out the words. I finally came to when I noticed the house’s outside lights flickered. Did my fall alert the residents of the target house?The breach team blew open the door and the residents were awakened. We stormed through the house with our weapons at the ready….”

I experienced many difficult moments in Iraq, including one where an RPG did not explode and my life was spared, but this collapsed wall would be the most-likely reason why I suffered a mild Traumatic Brain Injury, a common issue amongst the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. I never had a fractured skull and was not impaired to the point I could not function. The stint of my symptoms have always been a constant ringing in my head and ears, sometimes louder than other days, and memory loss. My first three years back home, I drove around lost all the time and couldn’t remember where I was going when I started the car. Fortunately, through the Louisville VA Polytrauma group, I found ways to cope and it helps I’m in a profession where I’m constantly digging for information. Thus, I can function at a much higher level than I did eight years ago, and I even remember names now!

So, why am I telling you this?

Well, I’m this year’s “Brain Ball” chairman and am working with the Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky to raise funds. One of the organization’s chief sponsors, Brown-Forman, recruited me to chair the ball. I accepted without hesitation and hope our efforts will prevent future brain injuries.

We are currently looking for sponsors and would love for you to attend. This year’s theme is the Roaring 20s. My wife and I are dressing up like bootleggers, and I’ll be packing… whiskey, not a tommy gun. We have full-blown corporate sponsorship opportunities, tickets to attend for sale, and you can donate something for the silent auction. Last year, a group of Norton Healthcare doctors bought me for a decent amount, and we had an amazing tasting at their home.

The Brain Ball is not just another charity event; your money has immediate impact. From supplying children with bicycle helmets to assisting the VA, the Brain Injury Alliance genuinely serves Kentuckians and is a brain injury advocate in the statehouse.

Whether in a car wreck or a fall on a slick sidewalk, brain injuries are random and can happen to anybody, and it’s partially because of the help from Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky and Louisville VA that I can find my way home.

Your support is greatly appreciated. The event is November 20. For more information, please visit this website.