This Marine Went From Paralyzed To Fighting For Military Families

There are moments where the mission chooses you.

Marine Corps Radio Operator SgtMaj Ted Painter was stationed in Okinawa when everything changed. A sudden illness left him paralyzed, intubated, and fighting his way out of an ICU with no windows and no clear answers.

In this episode, Ted walks through how he went from that hospital bed to Iraq, then into Fortune 500 work, and finally into his role at CareSource Military and Veterans. He now focuses on improving how military families get care and support.

We talk about Okinawa, Guillain-Barre, transition, mental health, TRICARE, military transition, and why Marines never really stop being Marines.

Timestamps:

00:00 Waking up paralyzed in the ICU

00:38 How the crisis became a mission

05:21 Okinawa, Guillain-Barre, and learning to walk again

15:42 Fighting out of the hospital with Marine grit

24:20 Finding purpose in healthcare

29:39 What the TRICARE Prime demo actually is

35:04 How this could change care for military families

45:47 Open season, eligibility, and how to enroll

How veterans can use CareSource Military and Veterans:

If you are in the Tampa or Atlanta areas and you are eligible for TRICARE Prime, you may be able to choose the TRICARE Prime demo with CareSource Military and Veterans. This is a Defense Health Agency program that gives families another option for how their care is supported. It does not replace TRICARE.

What it offers:

Simpler access to specialists within the network

Help from real people when you need it (not chatbots)

A focus on scheduling appointments faster and closer to home

For eligible retirees and their family members who choose CareSource during the demo, the TRICARE Prime enrollment fee is waived for the first 12 months.

Open season runs from Nov 11 to Dec 9. That is the window where you can choose CareSoure.

To learn more or check your eligibility:

CareSourceMilitary.com

Questions about the TRICARE Prime demo: 1-833-230-2080

Ready to enroll during TRICARE Open Season: 1-877-996-9333