FROM Orange County Register
Laylan Connelly
Will Schmidt had a bottle of pills, and a bottle of whiskey to wash it down.
He called in sick to work that day, and his plan was to never go back, or to never wake up again for that matter.
But then the phone rang. On the other end of the line was his mother, who sensed the desperation in her son's voice.
"Why don't you go for a paddle," she told him. "Do something fun, go enjoy the ocean."
So he set aside his plan to take his life, and instead hit the water on one of those calm days, when slight overcast skies kept it cool but the sun peeked out. There was no wind, no breeze, and since it was mid-week, no crowds. It was just the calmness of the ocean water and him.
"Paddling, I believe, saved my life,"
AN INTERNAL INJURY
I have dealt with depression my whole life. In my case, it's genetic, but five years in the United States Marine Corps as a Light Armored Vehicle Crewman and a Stinger Missile Gunner didn't help the situation.
Through the years, I've seen friends and comrades come home after war, living in the shadows of post-traumatic stress as they try to cope with their lives back at home.
It's one of the things that isn't being addressed. Many people have physical conditions, loss of limbs or burns. But they also have a lot of psychological issues that are being put to the side. A lot of these guys have really suffered and have not gotten the proper treatment. This is my calling to give back!
"Not all wounds show on the outside."
Many military members aren't brave enough to talk about what they are dealing with. I want them to know they aren't being weak, that it's an injury. It's not one of flesh and bone.
A second lease on life is what INSPIRES me to push my mind and body past anything I ever thought was possible!
