[496] MTSU Alum Needs Money, Care Following Injury Abroad

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU ALUM NEEDS MONEY, CARE FOLLOWING INJURY ABROAD
Lawrenceburg Native Struck by Taxi While in South Korea Teaching English

(MURFREESBORO) – Friends and family of a critically injured MTSU alumnus are staging an all-day fundraising event in Lawrenceburg Saturday, June 18, to bring him back to the United States for medical treatment.
Twenty-six year-old Wes Putman, who graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in history, was in the midst of his second placement as an elementary school teacher of English in Seoul, South Korea, when he was struck by a taxicab while crossing a highway March 12.
According to his aunt, Melissa Brazier, Putman sustained brain stem damage, an acute epidural hematoma and a subdural hemorrhage. Following two surgeries, he has been deemed stable enough to be transported.
While the taxicab company’s insurance firm has agreed to pay part of the costs of Putman’s care, his family remains burdened by the expenses of flying back and forth to be with him. He will require extensive care for the foreseeable future.
To help the Putman family pay for these expenses, runners will participate in the Heart2Seoul for Wes Putman 5K Run at 7 a.m. Saturday, June 18, at the Lawrenceburg Golf and Country Club. Registration on the day of the event is $30.
The Heart2Seoul for Wes Putman Putt Putt Scramble is slated for 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. also on Saturday, June 18, at Shoals Cross Putt Putt Golf in Lawrenceburg. The entry fee is $25 per person or $100 per four-person team. The winning adult and children’s teams will receive cash prizes.
Brazier says there will be inflatables and pony rides for children, hamburgers for lunch, barbecue for supper and live music. A silent auction and an actual auction featuring a Green Egg grill and a 46-inch television set are scheduled, as well.
“God has been very good to us throughout this ordeal, and for that we are thankful,” says Brazier. “Wes has friends all over the world who are supporting him on a West Putman Facebook account. It is amazing. He is a very special man.”
Putman’s brother, 23-year-old Casey Putman, had intended to take summer classes at MTSU, but he put those plans on hold following the accident. Casey Putman is a junior majoring electronic media communication.
Brazier says Wes Putman has shown signs of progress in recent days. She says he is now considered to be awake, although that is a relative term under the circumstances.

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Putman has responded with “thumbs-up” answers to his mother’s questions. Brazier says his left eye has been open during periods of alertness since April, and his right eye is opening slightly.
“He seems very aware of visitors and his mom’s presence,” says Brazier. “He has tried to manipulate his iPod when they hand it to him. We are waiting on his swallowing reflex to return so they can remove the trachea tube before we know if he is able to actually talk.”
The family is still trying to select an American rehabilitation facility. The extent of transportation expenses will depend on whether doctors will be able to remove the trachea tube before he travels.
“This will mean the difference between a $50,000 to $60,000 commercial flight for (Wes), a doctor and a nurse, and a $134,000 air ambulance flight,” says Brazier.
For more information or to obtain entry forms for the fundraising events, contact Melissa Brazier at 931-279-0230 or Dylan Brazier at 931-279-0231.
The Lawrenceburg branch of First Farmers & Merchants Bank (1501 N. Locust Ave., Lawrenceburg, TN 38464), is accepting donations. Checks should be made out to “Wesley Putman Benefit Account.”

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpeg photos of Wes Putman, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Media Relations at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. In September 2011, MTSU will celebrate its 100th year anniversary with special events and activities throughout the year—kicked off by a Blue-Tie Centennial Gala on Friday, Sept. 9.