'Beyond the Label': A PTSD 5K Walk and Run

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Participants in Elmore County Drug Court are required to do a community service project before graduating from the program. This year a participant is helping to bring awareness to an issue that effects our first responders, but is not spoken about often enough, PTSD.

Brian Hawthorne is a former EMT who worked in fire EMS for 15 years in Tennessee and Missouri. He began engaging in self destructive behavior and didn't understand why until he became a participant in the program.

During his career as a first responder he had seen things that deeply troubled him and though he went to his superiors he did not get the help he needed.

After receiving two DUIs, Hawthorne pushed hard to get into the program and get the help he needed. In Drug Court he received counseling and was diagnosed with PTSD from his former career.

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