Bill Campbell was deemed 100% disabled due to concussive brain injury and PTSD.
He also struggles with anxiety, an issue common with most veterans after serving in the military.
Like most soldiers, going back to a normal life seemed almost impossible. That is until Bill met Pax.
Pax is a yellow Labrador trained specifically to meet Bill’s needs.
Campbell was stationed in Iraq between 2004 and 2005.
He helped manage security at a Forward Operating Base. He suffered two concussions due to his station being blasted repeatedly over the years. A blast left Bill with shrapnel too close to an irreparable part of his brain.
Moving Forces shared Campbell’s condition,
“His abilities were minimal; he was lost in a continual loop from which he struggled to escape, caught in a spiral of memory loss, a fear of crowds, noises, and enclosed spaces. He did not leave the house, for fear he might get disoriented and stranded in the grips of paralyzing fear.”
If you watch Bill, the man seems perfectly fine. But the wounds are inside him.
Pax turned Bill’s life around. This sweet service dog gave him the type of companionship and comfort Bill needed to join civilian life once again. Campbell found his identity again as well as freedom as a new man.
This yellow lab was trained at a women’s correctional facility and Bill makes sure that Pax gets to go back for visits with the very people who trained him.
Bill isn’t Pax’s first miracle.
This dog was once under Laurie Kellog at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, just north of New York City. The reunion is an explosion of affection and love as Pax bolts for Laurie. He remembers her!
“Even though this service dog loves his home now with a true hero, the bond between his trainer and him can’t ever be broken. This is a beautiful story.”
Says a viewer named Katz.
Laurie falls to her knees and immediately, Pax showers her with doggy kisses and cuddles, and once they’re done, Laurie welcomes Bill with an embrace. A very comforting one.
They make their way to a room where Bill sits with the women and other dogs to listen to Laurie’s story.
“I too had P.T.S.D. after years of domestic violence. I too had flashbacks. Pax knew. I knew he would make someone feel safe. He made me feel a sense of freedom in a place I was supposed to feel anything but.”
Laurie is part of a program called Puppies Behind Bars. She would keep Pax’s water dish just so she’d have a memory of him even though her dog had left to help Bill.
She adds,
“He gave me back pieces of myself I forgot even existed.”
Pax did the same for Bill. Sure, he was trained but dogs are just such wonderful creatures, so full of love and with the ability to just brighten up your day and make the world a better place. Pax is a hero.
Better grab some tissue before you watch this beautiful story below.
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