One Jacksonville family has turned personal tragedy into a way to help other families.

Staff Sgts. Robin and Andrew Bristow have opened their lives and their home to start the Right Hand Angels Brain Injury Support Group for individuals and families in Onslow and neighboring counties, as well as across the nation. Within a year, their support group has received a widespread response from hundreds of people and support from various businesses and residents.

"I didn't think I was going to have that many people, but this group is going really strong," Robin said. "As support group leaders, if you have just one member come to your house, you're still a support group because you're helping that much."

The group was borne out of necessity.

On May 17, 2007, Andrew was driving with their three children when he lost control of his truck and crossed over a ditch, hitting three trees. Their youngest child, 3-year-old Andy, hit the right side of his head in the impact.

Andy sustained injuries to the thalamus region of his brain, which is located near the central nervous system and controls speech and motor skills. He has since suffered from seizures and lost both short-term memory and sight in his right eye. He is now a quadriplegic.According the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina, someone sustains a traumatic brain injury every 23 seconds in the U.S. In North Carolina, approximately 180,000 people currently live with disabilities resulting from traumatic brain injury.

"It's as if you take an infant and put him into a 5-year-old's body, from blinking to drinking to learning how to talk again," Robin said.

Robin said that both she and Andrew both felt enormous guilt for what happened to their son, and stress took a toll on the entire family. However, they didn't give up on Andy's recovery.

"God has given me the ability to have and keep my son, so I was going to do whatever it took to help him," Robin said.

After four months at Pitt Memorial Hospital, Andy was able to return home. However, adjusting to his disability was difficult for him and the entire family.

"It affects everyone, the kids, work, and the community in general," Robin said.

After doing research, Robin discovered that there were no local support groups for brain related injuries. So she decided to start one.

"A lot of support groups focus on one thing or have an age limit, and I wanted it to be for everyone," she said.

Right Hand Angels extends support to people of all ages with various disabilities, including traumatic brain injury, tumors, cancer, post traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They also reach out to military service members who have suffered brain injuries or mental illnesses - the most common injuries associated with veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

What started out as a group with four families turned into hundreds of people who sought support, information, guidance or just someone to listen to them.

"Outside of the four families that come, there's about 115 people that contact me on a regular basis," Robin said.

Services that the group provides includes education on brain-related injuries and illnesses, assistance with finding community resources, civil rights and legal information, and the ability to relate to other people who are experiencing similar issues.

Robin realized how extensive brain-related illnesses were when she met John Yoho of Richlands.

After retiring from the Marine Corps after 20 years, John noticed that stress from his military service began to cause severe headaches and erratic changes in his mood.

"Little things can agitate you, and you don't have any control over your body," he said. "Your emotions are like a roller coaster and you can't get off of it."

In 1995, doctors diagnosed John with meningioma after discovering two tumors in the frontal lobe area of his brain. After 13 hours of surgery and facing recovery, John sought local support and attended a support group in New Bern before finding Right Hand Angels.

"It's a lot closer to home, and I feel comfortable with everyone," John said.

After talking with John, Robin could relate his frustrations with her son's. John and the Bristows have since developed a close bond.

"John is very active (in the group), he usually gets everything that we need," Robin said.

Support for the group from the community has been tremendous for the Bristows, they said.

The base's Exceptional Family Member Program advertises the group on its Web site, so that any service member stationed at any base can contact them for help.

"It was really big to get that; it's a major accomplishment," Robin said.

After noticing how well Andy responded to his aquatic therapy sessions, Andrew decided to look for a pool company that would contribute to helping Andy and other families recover at their home. Viking Pools, a manufacturer based in West Virginia, donated a 31-by-14-foot in-ground pool to the Bristows. The pool will include wheel chair accessible lifts and steps to make swimming easier and fun for everyone.

"It was awesome finding someone who would donate a pool," Andrew said. "There are so many things that come with installing a pool."

Chris Cash, owner of Cash Pools of Jacksonville donated time, labor and equipment to install the pool.

"They're taking care of everything from start to finish on the pool, and I thought that was awesome," Andrew said. "I contacted them and told them about our situation, and they said they would love to help out."

The Bristows make sure that the support group is fun and informative - from backyard barbeques to guest speakers - for every member.

"There are so many resources out there and people don't have to look for them," Robin said. "They don't want to ask for help, (but) it can help them out a lot."

They are also planning for the second annual Joggin' for the Noggin' run on March 14, which will raise money and awareness for brain injuries support groups across the state. This year the event will be in memory of Tom Hentze, a retired Marine who died in August after a battle with Stage Three astrocytoma brain cancer.

"I had an opportunity to be a part of his life and I want to keep pushing and giving back for Marines, sailors and civilians," Robin said.

When Robin and Andrew see other children from the group with similar disabilities begin to improve, it builds faith in their son's future.

"I see each individual and I say, ‘That's going to happen to my son,'" Robin said. "Each one motivates me to keep trying with my son."

Andrew said that Andy, now 5, is the same little boy that he knew and loved before his disability.

"He's been very confident and motivated," Andrew said. "Some kids lay down and don't want to do anything, but we can't stop him from doing anything."

The Right Hand Angels is more than just a support group for the Bristows, it has become an extended family; and they hope to continue to reach out and touch more people.

"It's really been nice to see someone is out to help our family as well," Robin said. "I think we were definitely blessed, and I want to make sure that people who come to the meetings are blessed as well and get everything that they need."

Right Hand Angels Support Group meets the third Saturday of each month. For more information, call 843-685-9553 or 910-455-9626, or e-mail usmcafey@hotmail.com.

Contact Aniesa Holmes at 910-219-8453 or aholmes@freedomenc.com. Visit wwwjdnews.com to comment.