Paul: Purple Heart Veteran Meets His New Best Friend Mercy Medical Angels

Paul is a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Afghanistan. One day, he was on patrol with his fellow soldiers in a vehicle. That was when disaster struck: their vehicle ran over a roadside bomb. The impact of the blast threw him and the other soldiers onto the road. Some of them were killed instantly. “I lost some of my closest friends that day,” said Paul. After this event, Paul put on a tough façade so he could keep fighting. He was awarded a Purple Heart.

But when Paul got home, he started having problems with his memory. Also, he couldn’t go out in crowds and started having nightmares and flashbacks. “I knew I needed help,” said Paul.

He went to the nearest VA hospital. A doctor at the VA diagnosed him with a Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress. The doctor also suggested a service dog to help Paul. Unfortunately, the best service dog facility was in Texas, hundreds of miles away from his home in Virginia. “I was going down a dark road,” said Paul.

Luckily, Mercy Medical Angels’ veterans program was able to help him. The non-profit provided free airline tickets so Paul could travel to Texas. Once in Texas, he received his service dog, Chase. Chase is an intelligent German Shepherd. He can sense when Paul is having a nightmare or flashback, and helps him navigate stressful situations. His vest is purple and gold, to represent the Purple Heart that Paul was awarded. Paul said that Chase is “my new best friend.”

When asked what he would say to potential donors, Paul gets choked up. “I don’t know how to thank Mercy Medical Angels enough. They are heaven-sent, helping us Veterans when we need it the most. They helped save my life.”