Soldier’s fiancee takes recovery a day at a time


BOZIK

By GREG OKUHARA
Eagle Staff Writer

Jayme Peters saw her fiance, Joseph Bozik, crack a smile last week for the first time since he almost lost his life while serving in Iraq.

The smile framed two plastic tubes that emerged from his mouth, and Peters said the small gesture meant the world to her and Bozik’s family.

“It’s amazing, it really is,” Peters said Thursday in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. “He saw his mom and smiled. It took all the energy in his body to smile.”

Bozik, a 27-year-old Army sergeant from North Carolina, was severely wounded in Baghdad on Oct. 27 when the Humvee in which he was traveling struck a bomb. He lost his right arm and both legs as a result of his injuries and is being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Peters, Bozik’s mother, Gail, and his two brothers have remained at his side through the initial stages of his recovery.

“It was sad to see him in the condition he was in,” said Peters, a 24-year-old Texas A&M University senior. “You remember how active he was and how he was full of life. I was happy and sad at the same time.”

Because he is under heavy sedation, contact with Bozik has been limited, Peters said. When he is awake, he communicates through blinks. Doctors ask Bozik to blink twice if he’s in pain.

“Most often, he blinks twice,” Peters said. “I don’t think he knows exactly what’s going on.”

But she’s quick to point out that all hope is not lost. Peters’ voice perks up when she begins to talk about the future and all the “opportunities” that still lie ahead for her fiance.

“He looks better every day,” she said.

Road to recovery

Bozik’s path to simply getting out of the hospital will be long and tedious, Peters said. She estimates it will be six months to a year before Bozik is able to leave the medical center.

For now, Peters and Bozik’s family are relishing the small steps toward recovery he makes each day. His loved ones take solace in a smile, his darting eyes checking out the surroundings and his struggle to sit up.

Each day brings another surgery. Mostly they’re to clean his wounds to prevent infection or to repair one of his many broken bones.

The surgeries also are preparing Bozik to be fitted for prosthetic limbs.

All that remains of Bozik’s right leg is his thigh. Peters said doctors plan to take part of the shinbone from his left leg and use it to lengthen his right leg — the longer the limb, the better the prosthetic that can be used.

Bozik’s right arm was amputated around the middle of his forearm.

The only limb left intact, his left arm, didn’t come out of the explosion unscathed. His left hand was broken in several places. More surgeries, including the insertion of metal plates, will be required to mend those injuries.

But Peters said not a day goes by that they don’t see an improvement in Bozik’s condition.

On Thursday, Peters said, doctors were going to try taking Bozik off a respirator because he was breathing on his own for the most part.

“Every day we see a difference,” she said. “Each day we get to see the next step in his recovery.”

The reconnection

Peters arrived in Washington, D.C., two Fridays ago but had to wait until about 10 p.m. the following Monday before she and Bozik’s family finally were able to see him.

His return to U.S. soil was delayed when doctors in Germany discovered fluid in his lungs. After he was finally stable enough to fly, Peters said, doctors at Walter Reed had to perform numerous tests on Bozik to get a better idea of what kind of medical attention he needed.

When Peters finally was allowed to visit Bozik, he was in such a fragile state that she had a hard time finding places where she could touch her fiance.

“The hardest part is not being able to hug him,” she said. “That was the first thing I wanted to do when I first saw him.”

Because of the extent of his injuries — which include dozens of broken bones — she was able to touch him only on his chest and head. But that didn’t spoil the sweetness of the moment.

Peters said she ran her fingers through his hair — something he always enjoyed when they spent time together — and talked to him. She told him stories about current events, including President Bush’s successful re-election bid, and talked about the first time they met.

Mostly, she said, it’s about letting him know she is there by his side.

“I think it’s good to talk to him,” she said. “I think he can hear me. And sometimes I just don’t say anything at all. I’m just there with him.”

Widespread support

Bozik’s story has spread from coast to coast. When “Joseph Bozik” is typed into a Google Internet search, the first three Web pages are filled with links to stories about his situation and information on how to help.

The generosity, Peters said, has overwhelmed her and Bozik’s family.

“It has been so important,” she said. “We couldn’t be more thankful.”

One group Peters said that has been especially helpful is California-based Soldiers’ Angels.

The nonprofit group, which is funded through donations, has helped with expenses and transportation while Peters and Bozik’s family have been in Washington, D.C. They routinely send representatives to visit her and the Boziks, Peters said, and have selflessly offered a sympathetic ear whenever needed.

“It’s good to know there are good people out there who care,” she said.

A trust fund has been set up at a bank in North Carolina, and donations continue to come to a fund at First American Bank in the Bryan-College Station area. Both funds will help Peters and the Bozik family pay for expenses associated with the soldier’s recovery.

Peters also said people have sent many cards and letters of support to a private mailbox address for Bozik in Bryan.

“It means a lot to us that there are so many people who care,” she said.

A new beginning

Even though Bozik is hooked up to a ventilator and other medical devices, Peters said she already is looking forward to his returning to an active lifestyle when he gets out of the hospital.

Before being wounded, Bozik enjoyed playing golf and other sports, Peters said. She has no doubt he’ll want to continue being active, despite losing three limbs.

“His life isn’t over,” she said. “He’ll just have to alter [how he participates in activities], but he can still enjoy them.”

The medical staff at Walter Reed already has started briefing Peters and the Bozik family on the types of prosthetic limbs he could use. Some of them are interchangeable to suit his needs, whether he’s walking, running or swinging a golf club.

Peters and the Boziks are staying on the medical center grounds and have met several amputees.

“They are carrying on with their lives,” Peters said. “They don’t look like they’re missing out on life.”

In fact, she said, it’s only a matter of time before Bozik joins their ranks once he is fitted with prosthetic limbs.

“He’s not one to sit around and let life pass,” she said. “In fact, I think we’ll have a hard time keeping up with him.”

• Greg Okuhara’s e-mail address is gokuhara@theeagle.com.



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