Never Give Up! A Caregiver's PTSD Success Story. Tonya & Rick Shaw USMC

Rick spent 8 ½ years in the Marine Corps, however, he was medically separated in June 2011. During his time on active duty, he completed 2 combat tours to Iraq, was a helicopter mechanic, aerial gunner, and instructor. He suffered silently with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for just over 7 years and was just about as close as one could be to ending their life before his amazing wife was somehow able to pull him out of the darkest of places.

Join Dave, The Caregiver's Caregiver as he interviews Rick & Tonya Shaw, Wednesday, 4/22/15 at noon, PDT). Tonya acted as a caregiver to her PTSD husband for years, trying to save her family, and her marriage that was destined for divorce. However, her goal was not going to be an easy one..

Rick began self-medicating with alcohol mixed with prescribed medication just to get a couple hours of sleep at night. However, the onset of sleepwalking and nightmares became a nightly occurrence. Shortly after, he began to wake up with flashbacks and was convinced that their house was under attack. He then began waking up, pacing in his home with a pistol. His wife would follow him around to make sure he did not hurt anyone. Rick began isolating himself, and his behavior now adversely affected his job.

Eventually, Tonya was able to get Rick to open up publicly about how PTSD had not only affected him, but also his wife and everyone around him. The suicide rate for veterans is staggering and almost impossible to fathom. In fact, veterans make up 20% of the suicides in the United States, but only make up 10% of the population. In whole numbers, last year, just under 40,000 people committed suicide in the U.S. Of that, just over 8,000 were veterans.

Rick and Tonya have now devoted their lives to PTSD awareness of this misunderstood disorder. Please share this link with anyone who is suffering with PTSD. This is a "must see" show!