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[♪Elmo humming "Sesame Street" theme♪] [laughs]
Oh! Hi, Miss Queen Latifah.
Hey, Elmo! Hi. It's so good to see you.
It's so good to see you too.
What brings you here to Sesame Street?
Well, I'm meeting up with some friends who have been through some pretty tough times.
Oh.
Yeah. They were all hurt in one way or another while serving in the military.
And you know, those kinds of changes can be really tough on a family,
especially the kids.
Wow. Can Elmo meet them?
Sure. That's a great idea, because the more we know about these kids
and how their families cope, the more we can understand what they're going through.
And find ways to help? >>You got it.
Oh, good. Where are they, Miss Queen Latifah?
Oh, right there, Elmo. >>Oh.
[♪mellow music♪]
[child] I love my daddy to the moon and back.
[♪♪]
When I saw my dad's legs, it made me feel a little bit nervous.
[male speaker] I was in a drug-induced coma for six weeks.
I got burns to my hand and my arm, second degree to my face and head.
I'm so proud of my daddy because he fighted for our country.
[♪♪]
She was almost four when I came home,
and the whole left side of my face was bandaged up.
My nana asked me if I would be scared, and I said no.
And then I saw him and I was scared.
[♪♪]
Then she realized after Daddy talked to her, "That's Daddy."
"That's the same daddy that left. He just looks a little different."
She just ran up and threw her arms around me, and she didn't let go for a while.
It was pretty cool.
[child] My mom has a lot of courage.
[child] I love my daddy to heaven and back.
This much.
[♪♪] [giggles]
He started his ABCs and 123s all over again
because of the traumatic brain injury that he suffered.
He doesn't have no legs and one arm.
[♪♪]
At first, I didn't think she wanted to hug me because she was scared of me maybe.
That hug made me feel so happy and complete inside
that it made me feel like I didn't really lose anything at all.
[♪♪]
[child] When my dad came home, I was really happy.
I was so happy, I can't explain happy.
[child] I took my first steps the same day as my daddy did.
[child] He is the same old daddy
because he loves me no matter what.
[child] He's brave in every way.
[child] He's always my hero.
[child] I love my daddy all the way from California to New York. He's awesome.
[♪♪]
[♪Rosita humming "Sesame Street" theme♪] Hola, everybody!
Hola, Queen Latifah! Hola, Elmito.
Hola, Rosita. [both giggle]
Hey, you know, Elmo tells me that you've been going through a pretty big change
in your family.
Yeah. My daddy got hurt. Oh, look. That's him over there. Hola, Papi!
Hola, chiquita!
[giggles] His legs don't work anymore.
Yeah, and that's why he needs the wheelchair.
Oh. >>Si. And now so many things have changed.
You know, at first it was really hard.
But we're figuring it out.
You know, there are a lot of military families that are going through the same kind of thing.
There are? >>Yeah, like the families of my friend Dave and Sam.
Both of them were injured while serving,
and they and their families are finding ways to deal with the changes in their lives too.