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Mathew And PTSD Essay

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People may claim that they have witness terrible things in there live, but nothing can match the horrors a soldier witnesses on a daily basis in a warzone. One Army soldier that I know in particular, came back from the war in Afghanistan scarred both in body and soul. Mathew is one of many soldiers who suffer from a condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD for short). PTSD is a condition that can make a person relive the worst moments of their lives over and over. It tends to lead people such as Mathew, to become shells of their former selves. It can be beaten through time however but it leaves a lasting mark on a person's life. I have watched as Mathew's life and man he was before his time in the war in Afghanistan, was destroyed as he battled his PTSD that left a lasting scar on his mind and soul. Before his battle with PTSD, Mathew was a helping, happy, and hard-working person. If you had known Mathew before he …show more content…

Many of the people still in Mathew's life wanted to do something to help him. So A few people including me worked to get him a service dog named Frits. Frits is a dog trained to calm PTSD patients and help stop a flashback episode. When i brought Frits to Mathew, he didnt know what to do with him. Mathew had never had a dog and feared that if he had an episode, that he would hurt Frits. He was later proven wrong as Frits had kept Mathew from having a PTSD episode as Mathew and I were at a mall. A kid was running around popping a cap gun behind us which was causing Mathew to freak out. Frits hopped into action (literaly hopping) licking and push Mathew to get his attention. Mathew stopped freaking out and focused on Frits starting to calm down. Frits had started to give Mathew his life back away from the grip of his PTSD. Mathew was able to not worry so much on his PTSD with Frits around and with Frits's help he moved forward with his

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