A Frederick film shows veterans struggling with suicide – WHAG

FREDERICK, Md. - A new movie is shining a bright light on Americas returning soldiers and the struggles they have with traumatic brain injury even after their battles have come to an end.

Since Americas war on terrorism began, more than 350,000 servicemen and women have come home with traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

Many soldiers call TBI the silent killer, leading 22 vets to take their own lives every single day.

For director Matthew J.C., thats 22 - too many.

"Our mission was to take 5 traumatic brain injury and PTSD suffering veterans and find out if we can give them a brain spec scan then twelve weeks of sessions of in-light wellness and light therapy" says Matthew J.C., film director.

According to J.C. and his team, that light therapy is gaining ground as a new, effective form of treatment against TBI.

"The in-light wellness system is a poly chromatic light therapy system thats treating traumatic brain injury with led and near-infrared light technology. You have the infrared light penetrating to get to the damaged cellular level which allows oxygen, carbon dioxide but most importantly nitric oxide" says Andrew Kelley, former army recon medic.

There are dozens of symptoms of TBI including fatigue, amnesia, anxiety and for those who lost limbs in battle phantom limb pain.

"When you are involved in a traumatic accident like that, at that point of injury, your mind, your body remembers that specific time and frame so you kind of feel that concurrently when you deal with issues and deal with pain like you feel that burning sensation like i put a fire out with my leg" says Stephen Jackel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The film is currently being shown around at several prominent film festivals in order to gain exposure and help put its primary message out to those vets in need.

"Hang on as long as you can because there is hope" says Jackel.

The movie, 'Light up to Live' will soon be made available to watch through several platforms including Amazon and I-tunes.

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A Frederick film shows veterans struggling with suicide - WHAG