Erick Scott is a husband, a father, and one of America’s hero veterans.
Scott served our country along with other brave men and women in Iraq. He was in the Army National Guard for 16 years and he came home only to fight yet another battle. Scott suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD and it nearly ruined his life.
Scott’s father told him something important before he left for Iraq.
“My father…he is the person I respect most in my life. He said, ‘son you’ve got 11 guys…make sure you bring them all back…and that’s the last thing he told me…and they didn’t all come back.” – Erick Scott
Scott’s feelings of guilt brought him down a dark road.
“I feel guilty because I’m here. I woke up numerous times hitting my wife…or just in a cold cold sweat. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to change the sheets…cause it’s just like a puddle of water.” – Erick Scott
After realizing that he needed help, he saw a doctor who told him he was suffering from PTSD.
They gave him medicine but it didn’t help. “They tried tons of medicine with me a long time ago and I’d just throw it in the trashcan.” – Erick Scott
Then a bright light appeared in the form of a four-legged friend.
Erick heard about a program called, “K9s For Warriors” which was a non-profit group helping to match service dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD.
Erick is matched with his new pal, Gumbo, who is trained to detect and react to symptoms of PTSD.
During an interview, Erick is speaking about his experience being diagnosed with PTSD when Gumbo starts to nudge him. As Erick explains how he was diagnosed, he goes into detail about how he felt.
“You know I’d get mad…extremely ugly words come out of my mouth and told them just because they open a book they can’t put that stigma on me of what supposedly I have just because that’s what their books say.” – Erick Scott
Gumbo seems to sense that Erick is feeling agitated and immediately starts to distract him by licking his face and demanding his attention. Gumbo is able to successfully distract his owner and Erick notices too.
“You notice I’m getting a little agitated,” Erick says as he smiles and looks down at Gumbo.
It appears that Gumbo knows how to do his job and they are lucky to have one another.
“K9s For Warriors serves our veterans as honorably as they served their country. Our lifelong program is provided to Warriors at no cost and is designed to deliver maximum benefit with minimum administrative costs. We are proud that generous supporters trust us to do the right thing with their contributions, and we have received widespread recognition for our stewardship. Impacting the lives of veterans will always be our greatest reward. Their continued participation in the program is the only validation we need.” – K9s For Warriors
“We spend every waking moment together. Twig is my true friend and companion.” — Danial, 2020 grad#ServiceDog #Veteran #PTSD #K9 #K9FW #MentalHealth
Posted by K9s For Warriors onFriday, September 17, 2021
Now watch the video to see how Gumbo helps to calm army veteran, Erick Scott.
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