I will call him Alex. He is homeless, not by choice but due to a traumatic, life-changing event. It was an event he did not cause that devastated his family and his life.

Alex is a veteran. After completing his tours of duty he returned home to his family and had an opportunity for a good, steady job.

Alex was hired to drive a local delivery truck and complete deliveries in town to several businesses. He had a wife, children and a large extended family. He was a good father husband and friend. He enjoyed family time and hosted many family events. His customers loved his positive attitude and great smile. Alex was a happy man.

One uneventful day he was making his rounds of deliveries to his customers as usual. He stopped at a stop light. Suddenly two men entered his truck and demanded money. His truck clearly stated he not carry cash. Instead of just jumping out of his truck one of them shot him. In the head. They escaped and were never found.

There was no justice for Alex and his family. Alex survived. After surgery he was left with a traumatic brain injury, (TBI) — a devastating diagnosis, to say the least. The bullet was removed, but he became a different person due to the trauma that cannot be repaired. But it can be managed with medication.

As a consequence of this brain injury, Alex’s behavior became so erratic and unpredictable that his family could not manage him. He would walk and walk for miles until he became exhausted enough to sleep. He refused medication. There wasn’t any resource he could go to. And I don’t think he would accept help anyway. He felt he had no purpose left in life.

Alex was homeless, living on the street. He looked scary for sure. But was never violent. Other homeless left him alone because of the scar on his bald head and the look on his face. He was a very lonely man.

There are no words to acknowledge the devastation left in the wake for himself and his family by that 5 seconds of time that changed everything. It added another mentally ill person to the homeless population. And the fact these men were never caught haunted him.

His family tried to stay in touch with him, but that was difficult because he never stayed in one place. He was always walking.

I met Alex and his family post-hospital. His family was desperate and so devastated and upset that this happened to Alex. He had some cognitive decline, but again the part of his brain affected was the part that controls behavior. The brain is very complex but the behavior is primarily controlled in the frontal lobes, which was the part of his brain that was compromised.

It did take time for Alex to speak to me. But I had time and that was ok. He deserved some kindness and respect. He still had feelings like the rest of us.

This is just one story of a life-changing event. There are so many more. Many homeless people in Redmond are through no choice of their own.

Alex survives any way he can. But he lost his family and his quality of life. I hope this puts another face on the homeless that reminds us to be kind. Just a simple smile can make a real difference.