85 - Roy Newport - PTSD left me frightened of going out in the daylight but now I walk dogs daily

​Around 15 years ago Roy decided to rejoin the army as a general service policeman. Part of his motivation was down to a friend committing suicide, Roy had a taxi business at the time, he was overweight and realised that there must be more to life than what he was currently experiencing. 

When he rejoined at 34 he knew there was a very real chance he could go to go to Afghanistan, and that was what he wanted, to make himself proud and do his bit. Fighting for his place to get out to Afghanistan he was then embedded in with the Afghan National Police. There were some heavy losses. A legacy landmine injured Roy and took him away from the battlefield.
 
Roy got some physio for his injuries but then he was sent home which is where the demons started to set in. Unbeknown to him he started to display all the symptoms of PTSD, he was frightened to go out in the daylight and even went out in the dark with sunglasses on to try and hide his tears. Communicating with anyone would set him off. Of course this was hard to reconcile within himself due to his previous career as a military policeman. He sought help from his local GP but it took a long time for him to pluck up the courage to do so. Eventually he got the treatment he needed and got a lot better but this is an ongoing battle.
 
In a bid to get fit he decided to start walking a dog. Then he noticed that the dog was a great buffer between him and the rest of the world. Watch the interview to hear the full story.
 
www.ruffwalkers.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/ruffwalkers/

The BeGlad Movement is aiming to collect 100 stories of good coming out of bad and reasons to be glad by the end of 2018 to help support each other with our experiences and to raise money for the Samaritans and Action for Happiness. If you would like to donate it would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you!

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/beglad