Powerhouse news couple gives talk at Squaw

Three years ago in Iraq , the lives of Bob Woodruff and his family changed forever when an improvised explosive device detonated near the armored vehicle in which Woodruff was traveling. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and nearly lost his life. The bomb’s devastation proved to be more than physical, however, and it had a life-changing impact on the entire Woodruff family.

The couple’s book, “In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love, Courage, and Healing,” documents their family’s journey to recovery following Woodruff’s roadside bomb injury. Lee Woodruff’s book “Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress,” tackles the universal topics of life, such as friends and family.

The former ABC World News Tonight co-anchor and current foreign correspondent Woodruff and his wife, Lee Woodruff, spoke at Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation’s Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund lunch Feb. 17 at the Resort at Squaw Creek.

“(We) talk about our own family’s journey to heal and also how being able to give back helped in our own healing,” Lee Woodruff, a contributing editor for ABC’s “Good Morning America” and a freelance writer, said in a press release. “The Queen of Heart’s mission of philanthropy is near and dear to our own hearts.”

Bob Woodruff is back at work reporting for ABC News shows on a variety of international and national stories with his “Bob Woodruff Reports” unit. He has continued to cover stories that focus attention on the needs of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The Woodruff family also established the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury and Remind.org to raise money for members of the military who need cognitive rehabilitiation and care following traumatic brain injuries while serving their country.

“We got lucky as a family with our own healing,” Lee Woodruff said. “We wanted to help those who served their country to heal with all of the resources we had.”

Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund launched in February 2006. The goal was to identify 1,000 women to give a minimum of $1,000 and raise $1 million within one year. The group exceeded this goal and has raised $1.3 million to date. Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund is broad based in its funding interests making grants in nonprofit organizations ranging from arts, culture and public benefit to health and human services.