PTSD Veteran "Helping people is what helps me"

'It controls my life': How a military veteran manages his PTSD by helping others
CBC News Canada
April 28, 2018

"Helping people is what helps me. So, this clinic, this is my medicine. This is what makes me better. That's where I draw my healing, my everything from."

Chris Dupee and his wife, Angel, founded Cadence - a health centre for first responders and military veterans. (Chris Dupee / Canadian Military Family)

Chris Dupee feels proud when he stares at his Canadian Armed Forces uniform, which he's framed and hung on a wall. It's what he wore during his eight-month tour of Afghanistan in 2008 — and he says it represents the pinnacle of his military career.

Not long after he returned to Canada, Dupee was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and was discharged just before he hit the 10-year mark.

Chris Dupee was on tour for eight months in Afghanistan in 2008. (Submitted by Chris Dupee) "When I look at my tour, I don't see anything negative. I was well-ready. I don't have those terrible, terrible memories that some people might expect out of soldiers. There were bad instances over there — there absolutely was. But that was part of the deal."

People might not always expect that reaction from someone whose military career has led him down a path of mental illness. And though it's been years since Dupee served, managing his mental health will be a lifelong journey.
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