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high cost of patriotism 10 years after 9/11

Story and photo by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

When Debbie Humphrey watched her son Aaron enlist and go off to war after terrorists toppled the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001, she never expected her life to change in just this way.

For his part, Aaron had no idea he would be reliving parts of Operation Iraqi Freedom over and over, be forced to take four kinds of medicine at the ripe old age of 29 and be unable to live on his own or work at a steady job.

Welcome to the life of someone suffering from PTSD — post-traumatic stress disorder — a severe anxiety disorder most often associated with military personnel or veterans who experienced trauma during war.

Estimates of those suffering with PTSD range from one in five to one in 10 people. Statistics don’t tell the story. People do.

Debbie Humphrey, a member of the St. Clair County Mental Health board was involved with an annual conference Aug. 26-27 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville called Erase the Stigma that focuses on helping family members of those suffering with mental illness.

This year, the conference focused some of its time on people suffering from PTSD and their families.
Debbie Humphrey paired with Gina Hill, whose husband suffers not only with PTSD but suffered a traumatic brain injury during his deployment.

The theme for the conference was “Working Through the Maze,” and listening to family members describe what they learned and how they found treatment for their loved ones truly described working through a maze of bureaucratic tape of all colors just to find a program or a person who might be of assistance.

In the meantime, the one suffering with PTSD or another mental illness might be getting better or worse depending on whether the right program, person or medications can be found in a long list of needs to be met. The bottom line: Nothing is easy and probably won’t work the first time.

However, it also becomes apparent, listening to family members talk, they are relentless and determined they will not give up until some help can be found.

Hill spoke about all of the problems she faced and the many people who helped her along the way.
As people observe the 10th anniversary of 9/11, some of those who served their country paid the ultimate price on the battlefields of the Middle East.

Those who remain here and suffer from the psychological wounds of war have paid an unbelievable price for their patriotism all day, every day.