Description: MOMC Guest Host, Jake, chats with fellow Hidden Helper, Kylie, and her mom, Jenny. They discuss the unique dynamics of being a Hidden Helper and share advice about leaving home for college.

This program is powered in part by Wounded Warrior Project® to honor and empower post-9/11 injured service members, veterans, and their families.

Show Notes:

Hidden Helper Coalition:

https://hiddenheroes.org/resources/hiddenhelpers/

Bio:

Kylie Briest is a 21-year-old from Yankton, South Dakota. In 2005, Kylie’s father, Corey, was deployed to Iraq with the South Dakota National Guard for the second time. A few months into his deployment, Corey was injured in an IED blast that killed three of his fellow service members. Kylie and her mom, Jenny, are Corey’s primary caregivers. Jenny had to move Kylie and her younger brother across the country from their home in South Dakota for 18-months while Corey recovered in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Family photos from those days show Kylie with her family in the hospital, providing comfort and letting her father know that his family was there.  

Kylie’s upbringing has inspired her to pursue a career in the medical field, as she is currently studying Nursing at the University of South Dakota with the goal to be a NICU nurse. Though she was forced to grow up and mature faster than other kids, she says it developed a strong bond between her and her mother as they strive to get the best support for the strongest man she knows.  

Jacob Dickson Adkinson is an 18-year-old from Mesa Arizona. In 2003 Jake’s dad Dave was deployed to Iraq. There he developed illnesses due to chemicals and burn pits. Jake helps his mother take care of his dad and has grown up faster than most. He is a thoughtful and determined son who works hard to make bad situations better.
Jake has found a passion in taking care of others and is studying nursing next year at Northern Arizona university.  He connects and bonds with military members and their families. He cares deeply for service members and their sacrifices. Through love and determination, he has found strength and continues to devote his strength and time to others.

Jenny Briest 

Dole Caregiver Fellow (South Dakota-2021) 

Yankton, SD 

Cares For: Husband, Corey (pre- and post-9/11, National Guard) 

In 2005, Jenny Briest was a 23-year-old teacher and mother of two when her husband Corey deployed to Iraq with the South Dakota National Guard for the second time. A few months into his deployment, Corey was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast that killed three of his fellow service members. Early news of the incident led Jenny to believe Corey would also lose his life. She began contemplating the worst and thinking about Corey’s funeral when a doctor told her that Corey seemed to be holding on to his brain function.  

Corey returned home blind and dependent on a wheelchair. Jenny had to move her family across the country from their home in South Dakota for 18-months while Corey recovered in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. Her hardest challenge as a caregiver was her constant battle for Corey’s medical benefits to pay for cognitive care that would enable him to eventually live at home. Thankfully with the help of their doctor and their congressional leaders, they were able to obtain those benefits, though Jenny still struggles with navigating the VA at times.  

As Corey’s caregiver, Jenny supports him in every aspect of the day including meal prep and managing medications. Jenny has lobbied with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) for the Caregiver Act, appeared as a spokesperson for a WWP commercial, and met with senior leaders at the VA to provide input on the VA Fiduciary system. In their free time, Jenny and Corey and their family enjoy attending school events and time at their cabin, swimming, boating, and floating, doing their best to live their ‘new normal’ to the fullest.