Speaker details her celebrity husband's recovery

Lee Woodruff, wife of ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff, served as the keynote speaker at the second annual brain injury symposium hosted by the South Texas Rehabilitation Hospital on Wednesday in Brownsville.

The event brought together about 30 healthcare sponsors from across the Rio Grande Valley, and allowed brain injury survivors and family members the opportunity to talk with others who understand what they’ve been through.

Bob Woodruff suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2006 while he was in Iraq covering the war and a roadside bomb exploded near him, crushing the left side of his skull as rocks from on top of the bomb acted like shrapnel. He was in a coma for 36 days and underwent months of therapy, particularly in language and cognitive areas.

Lee Woodruff said the message she wanted to pass along is that there is still hope when something as tragic as a brain injury strikes a family.

"It makes you more aware of how precious life is," Woodruff said. "It’s easy to say like it’s a Hallmark card, but you don’t take anything for granted anymore. There are still bad days for both of us, but you search for the positive."

Jessie Eason Smedley, CEO of South Texas Rehabilitation Hospital, said they had asked Woodruff to come speak at the event because of positive nature of her story.

Smedley said the day offered two messages.

"One is that we want people to know that there’s support in Brownsville if you know someone with a brain injury,” she said. “Two is that we want them to know that there’s hope."

The Woodruffs wanted to share their experience with others, so they co-wrote "In an Instant," a book chronicling Bob’s injury and the journey their family went on from that point on. The couple has four children, including twin daughters who were 5 years old at the time of Bob’s injury.

Woodruff said the project was not initially meant to be a book. She just started writing every night as a release for herself, but eventually decided to turn it into a book with Bob’s insights as well after several people, especially Bob’s neurosurgeon, told her they should. No one was talking about the brain injuries sustained by veterans, the surgeon said.

In addition to the book, the Woodruffs also decided to co-found the ReMIND organization, which aims to help members of the military recovering from brain injuries and their families.

"We often say that if every American gave $5 to help veterans, we could solve so many issues," Woodruff said. "Beyond donations, though, the best thing to do is just look in your community and see how you can help. Chip in and get a movie pass for a mom who has been sitting bedside for weeks. Bring meals to people. Talk to the veterans group and see how they need help."

During Wednesday’s address, Woodruff also praised the nurses, doctors and therapists who work daily with traumatic brain injury survivors.

"To me, the world’s kindest and most generous people work in the rehab hospitals," she said.

Since opening in 2006, STRH has treated around 300 traumatic brain injury survivors and around 600 stroke survivors, Smedley said.