Firefighter’s widow shares husband’s battle with PTSD, hopes to help others KOLD 13 News By Heather Janssen October 7, 2018
He took his own life in April of 2017.
“To see him lose hope in himself from all the things he experienced was absolutely paralyzing,” she explained. His struggles with PTSD impacted the entire family, but the Samaniegos' story doesn’t stand alone.
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Helping others was second nature for Jose Samaniego, until he was the one who needed the help.
“(He was) so selfless. He was so laser focused on helping other people,” his wife, Serena Samaniego, explained.
He was a loving husband, a devoted dad, and a dedicated Golder Ranch firefighter.
But Jose struggled with post-traumatic stress and addiction. What he witnessed at work often haunted him when he got home.
Serena saw it firsthand.
“It was the middle of the night nightmares and not being able to sleep. It was being distracted and irritable throughout the day,” she said.
These were all signs of his struggle as he became imprisoned in his own mind, until he couldn't handle the battle anymore.
Mike McKendrick runs the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation. He said it’s likely two firefighters take their lives each week. read more here
The more I think about the fact that older veterans have waited longer for all the benefits they fought so hard for, the more I want to scream "Stop getting out of the way and start leading it again!" Vietnam veterans led the way for gaining treatment and compensating for PTSD. Yes, that is right, old guys! The ones who did it without social media or even computers. Now we have First Responders being treated for what their jobs did to them. Oh, you guys get that, since most of you went into those careers too. Who else will they listen too other than those who walked the walk since before they were in baby walkers? You are the majority of veterans in this country. Sadly, veterans over the age of 50, are also the majority of the suicides. What are you waiting for? You have a lot of time on your hands now, so how about you use that time to actually make your golden years glitter? Go to PTSD Patrol and see if you can become the inspiration to save some lives, beginning with your own!
Woman to compete in Louisville Ironman wearing firefighter gear for PTSD awareness WDRB News By Fallon Glick October 5th 2018
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If you think competing in an Ironman is tough, imagine what it's like in full firefighter gear.
That's exactly what Diana Woolf will be doing at the Louisville Ironman next weekend. The 47-year-old has been a firefighter for 23 years, and she’s raising awareness about PTSD among firefighters.
“I've lost friends. I mean, if my husband wasn't a firefighter, I probably would have lost him,” Woolf said while acknowledging her own PTSD. “And myself, I contemplated suicide at one point.”
Woolf found herself in hole she couldn't climb out of because her PTSD until she started competing in triathlons. In a way, it acted as therapy. Now, the Village of Highland Hills, Ohio, firefighter is gearing up, literally, for the Louisville Ironman.
“The jackets, the pants, I wear the liners, which is a huge portion of our gear," Woolf said. "It's like a thermal barrier, but it also contains a lot of heat, which is what makes it most difficult. I wear the helmet, and then I wear the air pack on my back."
She'll be wearing all 37 pounds of it during the marathon portion of the Ironman. She hopes to shed light on the silent killer, because she said most firefighters aren't talking about PTSD.
“They're not saying they're having problems, because it is such a sign of weakness, which is the point of why I'm doing this ... to show that you're not weak," Woolf said. "You complete a full Ironman in fire gear, and you can have PTSD, so just come out and say 'I have problems. I need help,'"
Woolf said, statistically, more firefighters die of suicide related to PTSD than line-of-duty deaths. read more here
When people decided it was OK to run around the country and let troubled veterans know how many others may have killed themselves, they added misery!
It would have done just as much good to hand them a flag for their coffin! They do not know they can heal PTSD and need to hear #TakeBackYourLife!
If you do not understand this then think of it this way. You are deeply troubled about something. You trust one of your friends and you share all of it. They tell you that someone they know got help for the same trouble. Or, they say, they know someone with the same problem and they committed suicide. Which one do you think would help the most?
Time to end the nonsense and start getting serious about helping veterans find hope they need to not become a number AND LEARN THEIR NAMES!
Army major probed after Facebook message told soldier with PTSD to 'die from AIDS' The Mirror UK BySean Rayment 6 OCT 2018
EXCLUSIVE: Rob Walker is now being investigated after the shock message was sent
Rob Walker is being investigated (Image: Western Mail)
A message from an Army sergeant major’s Facebook account said he hoped a soldier discharged with PTSD would die from AIDS.
The comments from Rob Walker’s social media are being investigated by the Royal Military Police and he could face a court martial if he sent the message.
Walker, a Company Sergeant Major in First Battalion, the Royal Irish Regiment, served in conflict with the PTSD sufferer in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The message also accused the ex-soldier of sleeping with a 10-year-old Filipino boy.
read more here
