Dear CrossFit, PTSD and the Long Walk To Sanity

Dear CrossFit,

Stay calm and walk the dog.  A lot.  In the past 32 days Captain (ret.) Medric “Cous” Cousineau has walked over 770km with his service dog Thai.  I had the great honor and privilege to walk with him the past few days.  

Part of today’s route: 

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/375640193?fb_source=708

Part of yesterday’s route:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/374557231?fb_source=708

Today was a picture postcard day at the Sandbanks Provincial Park.  Bright blue skies, gentle breeze, warm but not hot, almost no humidity, perfect in every way, except for the Veteran who wrestles with PTSD every moment of every day.  Just the sound of the shells crunching underfoot transported him back to a beach and talking with a Silver Cross mother about her son, lost to PTSD.  Even on this most perfect of days, when we who are more sane delight in the lyrical lapping of the waves on the miles-long white sand beach, the Veteran with PTSD is always just one thought, one sound, one smell, one word from the edge.

Yet Cous has been transformed in the past year from a 200kg+ self-proclaimed “toasted marshmallow” to a guy who now exercises with a passion that we CrossFitters can understand, and with a passion that earned him that starting spot on the d-line.  Cous walks, a lot, sometimes up to 6 hours a day.  And he swings kettlebells and does body weight exercises.  His RA prevents him from re-engaging with the heavy lifting he did as a defensive lineman “back in the day”, but he does an amazing amount of work, and the results are dramatic.  While there’s still room to go, there is no comparison between where he was last year and where he is now.

So I’m sitting here still sweaty after todays walk Cous (with whom I played football all those years ago) and trying to figure out what it all means.  Cous is currently on the “Long Walk To Sanity” to raise awareness and money for Veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Cous was injured during a naval rescue in 1986.  You can read about Cous and the Long Walk to Sanity at http://www.pawsfurthought1.com

During our long walks over the past few days, we had plenty of opportunities to talk about football, fitness, and how Thai (his dog) saved his life and changed his life.  Thai is trained to smell the middle of the night screaming nightmares and to wake Cous before the terror arrives.  Thai is trained to smell the chemical imbalance that precedes dis-associative moments during the day, and to intervene before things go south.  Thai is trained to keep people from approaching Cous from behind, which prevents the disastrous consequences of a profoundly hyper startle reflex.  Thai is an amazing working dog.

We all understand how a service dog helps a blind person, but now, having seen it first hand, I understand how a service dog helps people with PTSD.  Not only do the service dogs change and save the lives of the patients, they save tens of thousands of dollars for the medical providers.  A service dog costs about $7,500.  One patient’s meds may cost up to 25k/year.  After acquiring a service dog, a patient’s meds may drop to 1k/year.  There is a lot to be learned about PTSD and service dogs and Veterans and other things, but one thing is clear, Cous is now functioning at a level where he wants to and can help other Veterans with PTSD.  One of the reasons he is functioning at this level is because of the devoted work of his amazing training partner Thai.  Thai walks all those miles with Cous, and puts aside being a dog while her vest is on to be a tireless worker.  Next time I want to bail on a WOD, I am going to bring Thai to mind, and channel her boundless energy and selfless dedication to her wounded Veteran.

Please consider checking out the website http://www.pawsfurthought1.com, or learning more about how service dogs can help with PTSD, with epilepsy, with diabetes, and with other issues.  I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes.  But now that I have, I get not only what Cous’ life is like every moment of every day, but how integral Thai is to this astounding recovery.  Cous may never be the athlete he was when he was punishing running backs and quarterbacks from 1979-1983, but he’s an athlete again.  Make no doubt about that.  And so is Thai.

I wonder what tomorrow’s WOD will be…