Retired Marine runs for therapy

Marine veteran Eusebio Collazo ran the American Odyssey Relay Race 2012 from Gettysburg, Pa., to Washington, D.C.

A 2005 mortar attack in Iraq left Marine Eusebio Collazo, of Humble, with many injuries, including a cerebral contusion, scalp laceration, a diaphragmatic rupture, a lobe liver laceration and a fractured femur.

Pain from the injuries he suffered while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom kept the veteran from doing the things he loved, including activities such as running. But with the help Collazo received from the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, he has returned to his active lifestyle.

Collazo joined the medical center's Team Red, White & Blue, which helps wounded veterans reintegrate into society after returning home from combat. As a team member and with the guidance of mentor Capt. Chris Widell, the wounded veteran ran the American Odyssey Relay Race 2012, a 200-mile, 36-hour race from Gettysburg, Pa., to Washington, D.C.

Collazo explained in a story he wrote that his ability to finish the race was thanks to the "great doctors" who work at the medical center.

There are nearly 3,900 health care professionals who work at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, which serves as the primary provider of health care for more than 130,000 veterans in Southeast Texas. It's located on a 118-acre campus at 2002 Holcombe Blvd. in Houston. Built in 1991, the medical center has 580 beds, a 141-bed community living center and a 40-bed residence for homeless veterans.

The state-of-the-art medical center also features a computer-controlled, automated transport system that delivers laundry, food and supplies throughout the six-story granite building, which was designed with four atriums with patio gardens and four exterior sections with a rehabilitation pool and a wheelchair basketball court.

In addition to providing health care, the medical center also is a research facility at which there are 643 active projects funded by more than $26 million annually. It's also a teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine.

For more information about the medical center, visit www.houston.va.gov.