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Oscar Mike Radio - Joseph Kavanagh · Military Broadcast Radio | MBR Talk

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  slash OM Radio to help. That's wreathsacrossamerica.org
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  slash OM radio. I remember a time when I was in
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  A and, you know, a not so good place and these games and these
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  activities and being able to to come and, and have the
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  camaraderie that we have here. It, it, it makes me feel like,
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  you know, I'm not, I'm not alone.
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  There are people here that have been through what I, I've been
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  through. It makes me feel like, I don't
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  know, like, like I'm, I'm part of something great.
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  Hello and welcome to OM Radio. I am truly OM.
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  I'm not in Boston. I'm not anywhere.
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  I'm not in parts unknown. I'm in Washington, DC at the
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  Elizabeth Dole 10th Annual convening.
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  And you may have seen my interview with Michael Corman,
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  Navy CB. Well, now I'm joined by another
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  Navy veteran, Joseph Kavanaugh is going to tell us about his
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  fellowship time and what that means to him with Elizabeth Dole
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  Foundation. Joseph, welcome to OM Radio.
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  Yes, good morning time. This afternoon it's a blur at
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  this. Point.
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  Yeah, it is a blur. I'm sorry.
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  My name is Joseph Kavanaugh, as you've already said, and I am a
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  2025 Elizabeth Dole Fellow. I'm a caregiver for my wife
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  Jerry, who is in Navy Hospital. Corpsman who was injured in the
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  line of duty while taking care of patients at Groton Naval.
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  Hospital that's Groton is in the sub base in.
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  The sub base in Groton, her first injury was in 1991.
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  She was outside the hospital helping out a patient because,
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  you know, they transported obviously patients to the
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  hospital and you've got to get them in and out.
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  Well, she slid on some ice and she fell and she dislocated her
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  shoulder forward and she conked the back of her head.
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  So that was TBI #1 the shoulder. However, that required three
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  separate surgeries, 2 separate procedures and in the course of
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  her five years in the Navy, about two years of physical
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  therapy to basically leave her with no feeling in her right
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  hand, but at least the muscle tone and stuff to be able to use
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  it. The thing about the Elizabeth
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  Dole Foundation that impresses me so much and I I literally got
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  to meet my hero Elizabeth Dole last night was the fact that
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  Senator Bob Dole had a similar condition that he had from World
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  War. 2. Where the main nerve group in
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  the arm was damaged. And that's why Senator Dole
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  walked around with a pen in his hand all those years.
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  Well, my, my wife would carry a portfolio or something else
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  because she really has very limited use of her arms.
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  She had to go with, you know, forward clutching bras.
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  And I mean, there were a lot of things just on the ARM business
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  to begin with. As a doc right, you had to fix,
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  you know, Marines and sailors, but it must be a different thing
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  having to take care of your wife like this 24/7 I.
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  I actually was. Yes, I, I I did do first first
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  hand patient care for a while and then I ended up in a very
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  specialized path in the Navy where I actually did autopsies
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  and plane crash investigations. Yeah, that really is a thing.
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  I was a histopathology tech, of which there were 42 in the Navy
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  and when I was in, we never got above an end strength of 26.
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  I spent most of my time when I was in that career field at the
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  Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC at
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  the old Walter Reed. And anyway, but I was
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  essentially also with the Office of the Armed Forces Medical
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  examiner. But yes, I had had basic patient
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  care experience, but you know, but then I ended up, I dealt a
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  lot with the seed and affairs. So I dealt with a lot of really
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  hot button topics that were really emotionally difficult to
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  deal with. And, and you're right, I, I, I
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  eventually, because my wife then encountered a second traumatic
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  brain injury and started losing her short term memory.
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  The the reason I was sort of glad that my job was I was
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  detached from patients is because I thought I was going to
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  end up with compassion fatigue if I was taking care of others
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  at work and then coming home and taking care of her.
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  For sure, for sure. You know, just we're at the
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  Elizabeth Dole 10th Annual convening.
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  Give us a sense of ask Michael Corman.
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  This question is also coming from a fellow What was life like
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  before the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and you all
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  connected? I well, OK, this is going to
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  sound strange. I have actually been affiliated
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  in one way or another with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation since
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  it's very, very beginnings. Really.
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  One of the 2015 fellows and myself were talking yesterday.
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  I have known her online near 10 years and the funny part about
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  it is we finally met in person for the very first time.
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  She's from she's from Texas and I'm from Oklahoma.
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  Of course those are very wide. The part because of Texas, we
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  had never met in person, but she was an amazing support and model
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  for me for many years, especially since actually it's
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  Roxana Delgado and the TBI Foundation along with her
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  husband Victor. Well, my wife had a TBI.
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  Well, she had two TBI, as a matter of fact.
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  So they were a wonderful resource and she's just been
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  wonderfully supportive and she's told me a couple of times over
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  the years I should apply to be a fellow.
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  Well, my son's now 25 and my daughter's turning 21.
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  My son's my, my son's an EMT and he's a dive Med tech, and he's
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  just finishing his last two weeks of clinicals to be a
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  paramedic. So in my mind, he's there
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  because he's already working ambulances and has been for five
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  years. And my daughter's a nursing
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  student. Probably because they grew up
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  having to take care of mom. But, you know, honestly, I
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  wanted to devote some time to them when they were younger
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  because with Mom's brain injury, the family was frazzled a lot
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  because mom would say to do something and then mom would
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  forget she said that. Or, you know, we anyway, just
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  Mom is a wonderful human being. Obviously we'll be married 30
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  years in. December.
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  Yes. And I've been her caregiver for
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  since 1990. Well, a little bit earlier than
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  that I'm but she really didn't need a caregiver while she was
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  in the Navy, but she left the Navy in 95 and I have been her
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  caregiver and her provider for medical care and otherwise since
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  she was put out at the Navy. And what was funny was they
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  originally Med boarded her and then they lost the Med board and
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  she was within a month of getting out anyway.
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  So you know the military, well, we're not going to go through
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  the Med board procedures again anyway.
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  So you know what? Get out.
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  Take it up with the VA. Of which she did.
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  Just what we'll know, just I have a thought here.
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  I just want to share with you this completely.
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  Like off top, you'll understand, right?
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  In this world of, you know, broken marriages, family, so on
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  so forth, you can get Jada to think that love is not real,
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  Joseph. But I hear a story like that and
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  it gives me hope that you know what?
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  Maybe when people who come before God and man say till
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  death do us part, maybe there's still some hope out there.
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  If nothing else, I just want you to know that really hit me right
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  here. Absolutely, Absolutely.
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  Well, and then I will share this.
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  This is sort of a funny thing. I'm originally from New York and
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  my wife is originally from Wyoming.
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  So you have somebody from one of the most populated States and
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  then the least populated states who did not even know we were
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  both in the Navy until after we started talking because we met
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  on a train in Chicago. That was the first time.
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  And then we were assigned to different commands.
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  And two years later, we bumped into each other at the
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  McDonald's at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, now Walter Reed.
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  But anyway, at the McDonald's there, and I'm standing in line,
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  she turns around. She looks at me, and she goes,
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  she turns to her roommate and says, I know that guy.
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  I overheard it. And I said, yeah, you know me.
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  We were friends in Great Lakes. And, you know, in a good way.
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  It was the date that never ended and two years later we were
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  married. Now the irony was the first time
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  we met because I found it out because it was my buddy's
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  birthday who I was hanging out when I met my wife was December
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  8th. The second time we met was
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  December 8th and ironically enough I had done a year in the
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  reserve so I had left active duty.
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  She was being discharged and I was being recalled.
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  We got married on December 8th. So I really believe yes, there
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  is a thing is love, and apparently ours is.
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  Eternal, absolutely, absolutely. You know, one of the things you
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  talked about was support you got from the foundation before you
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  even came on board. And you know, coming here today
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  to DC and listening to some of the the breakout talks, there is
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  this current of support throughout all the fellows, some
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  of these orgs. You know, if you're 202520256
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  you all might not ever meet, but it it's very interesting to me
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  that all the fellows are there in force and their support other
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  people. How's the support been from the
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  foundation once she became on board?
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  Joseph, Everybody has been more than wonderful.
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  Due to my son finishing his paramedic program and my wife
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  liking stability, I was able to bring my wife along with me.
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  So she's staying with me in the hotel.
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  And since she was assigned here in DC with me as well, she knows
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  the area so she's comfortable with that.
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  So I'm comfortable with leaving her for some time during the
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  day. And we communicate, obviously
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  text a lot, but the foundation was totally supportive of that.
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  They were also very supportive of the fact that I had to drive
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  because, number one, my wife. But the other kink in this was I
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  had to make a stop at the VA in Nashville along the way because
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  I needed to get some blood tests done.
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  Because the kicker of all of this is, and I'm not blaming my
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  wife at all, but having been a caregiver, I neglected my health
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  for a number of years. And it caught up with me last
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  year and my son stepped in while I was unable to be there in
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  person, but I was handling the finances.
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  But I spent 320 to 300, yeah, 322 days, 23 days of 2024 in a
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  hospital bed, 280 of them in the intensive care unit because my
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  liver went from perfectly healthy to dead in nine months,
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  partly because of metabolic things, partly because of having
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  been exposed to hazardous chemicals in the military.
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  And I was listed for a liver transplant the Wednesday night
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  before Thanksgiving at 9:00 at night.
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  And I was made aware at 4:00 in the morning to Friday morning
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  after Thanksgiving that they had a match for me despite the fact
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  that I was O negative and I had some rare things going on. 28
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  hours on the list. We figured it out total because
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  by the time they got the report in after the 9:00 to win, it was
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  a total of 28 hours on the list. Doc comes in and he goes well,
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  unfortunately we have a brain deceased individual, but we have
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  a healthy young liver for you at but there are five other organs
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  we need to harvest. We're going to do your surgery
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  on November 30th. And they did.
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  And the transplant surgeon said that if they had not, I would
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  have been dead in 48 hours. So the scariest thing in my life
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  was the fact that I have this. I'm sorry.
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  Now I'm going to say according to this eternal love.
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  And I swear, the only thought that went through my mind was,
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  my God, what's going to happen to my wife with this brain
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  injury? Who needs support and?
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  All this care. And you know, a stable
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  environment if I die and you know, OK, I, I, I'm not pushing
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  my religion on anybody. But the bottom line is 2 people
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  in this universe have died for me in the course of my life.
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  One died and saved my life. The other died and saved my
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  immortal soul. And, and the bottom line is some
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  young donor apparent and they kept saying young and that's all
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  they tell you. By the way, you can't find out
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  anymore until a year after the transplant.
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  But some young person saved my life and enabled me to continue
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  taking care of my wife. Well, I mean, if we're, if we're
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  going with this faith-based approach, and I certainly
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  believe that God is real, then you were safe for a purpose.
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  And maybe this purpose is going to be further, you know,
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  advocacy, further support for other fellows coming behind you.
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  I. Believe it is.
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  And you know, The funny thing was I was 13 days post
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  transplant and they threw me out at a hospital because I was
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  already walking a mile a day and on day four I was already off of
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  pain. Did you have clean socks?
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  I I most certainly did. I made sure I had, I had a pack
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  of the Spalding 30s, no shows, just because I could buy them in
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  bulk, prepaid in bulk. You've got it man.
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  Now. No, no, no, this is just we're
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  we're we're in close in time. The guy asked this question,
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  asked all Corman this question. So you had to clean socks.
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  Right. I've had multiple Corman tell me
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  to drink a gallon of water a day.
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  I do that. I have to because kidneys are
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  vulnerable after a liver transplant.
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  You have got to keep hydrated otherwise my kidney can't. # the
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  water. Absolutely.
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  And then the last one you're going to ask me about is Motrin.
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  And guess what, I can't take it. I am allowed one time, 1325
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  Tylenol every six hours if I needed it for pain.
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  But beyond that, I'm not allowed any other pain pills because of
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  the transplant. Well, you know, I've got to have
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  you back on because I really want to unpack more in depth of
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  what we have here. I'm happy to be here.
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  I'm happy to talk with you. I have to think though, looking
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  through the program, looking through the other panels we've
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  had this morning and the VA secretary is this is something,
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  this caregiver aspect to me that we don't hear enough of.
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  What can veteran Site, myself and other people do to help you
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  all in your caregiver journey? Just understand, understand, you
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  know, because I'm, I'm going to be honest with you as well.
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  And I'm not trying to make it about me, but I've only been,
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  I've almost been one of the 22 because, because there are times
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  that in my caregiver journey, I knew that my wife and my
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  children relied on me. But it was so hard.
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  And I've had Marines tell me, come on, Doc, you know, you do
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  something and it's going to, it's going to go through the
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  entire community. They were like, Doc, you got to
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  keep talking because when Doc shuts up, it means something
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  bad's going to happen. So it, you know, these now are
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  my people with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and I found a
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  family there. And I also have a, a brotherhood
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  and sisterhood of, of, of they also know, support me.
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  So the biggest thing is we support each other.
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  And, you know, I am taking care of a disabled vet.
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  And there are times she feels bad because, you know, honestly,
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  she was a peacetime person. But her job in the military and
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  how she got injured was because she was still trying to save
• 19:45
  lives. She was caring for not only the
• 19:50
  airmen, soldiers, Marines, sailors, Coast guardsmen, and
• 19:56
  now, of course, space wars, but she was taking care of those
• 20:00
  people and their families. And it's now time for other
• 20:04
  people to take care of us and our families.
• 20:08
  Absolutely, absolutely. self-care to me is a real
• 20:10
  central thing with everything I've heard today from this
• 20:13
  convenience. So I want to thank you for
• 20:15
  coming on and talking to me. Joseph, I'm going to have you
• 20:17
  back on when we have more time to go over things, but this has
• 20:20
  just been a really impactful conversation.
• 20:22
  A lot of times the short ones really hit you in the gut and
• 20:26
  and I really think that this is going to connect with people who
• 20:28
  really, I don't understand what you're going through.
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  Thank you. So.
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  Much and I appreciate your time and your consideration, Sir.
• 20:32
  Thank you very much. Absolutely, Absolutely.
• 20:34
  And I appreciate you all in the audience.
• 20:36
  So we're OM here at the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's
• 20:39
  convening, and we have more on the way.
• 20:44
  The biggest fear? Goldstar families have that
• 20:46
  their child. Will be forgotten.
• 20:48
  We need to never forget freedom wasn't the.
• 20:52
  Fact that they give us the life we.
• 20:53
  Have now we should remember them.
• 20:55
  And like give thanks to them. If I can be a part of something
• 20:58
  today, that's going to make the surviving family of any of these
• 21:01
  veterans, these heroes, feel better.
• 21:03
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