'The smell of death': police officer's shocking PTSD helped by a super dog
"I had bad flashbacks and I'd get panic attacks around people," said Adam, 49.
Oppy, his dog, changed his life.
He received the Labrador retriever through Assistance Dogs Australia, a national charity.
The organisation trains dogs to support former police, firefighters and Australian Defence Force personnel diagnosed with PTSD.
After leaving the police force in 2010, Adam spent eight years suffering from mental illness.
"It just leaves you exhausted all the time," said Adam, of Maryland in Newcastle.
"I very rarely left the house - almost never on my own.
"I was very ill. I had a couple of stays in psychiatric hospitals."
While out in public, Adam was "always hypervigilant of what was going on around me".
"That's where Oppy has helped me the most. He notices if I'm becoming distressed a lot sooner than I do.
"If he knows I'm starting to get worked up, he'll nudge me with his nose. If that's not enough, he'll woof at me. "Eventually he'll jump up on me. He's amazing."
He said Oppy gives him "time to deploy other coping mechanisms, like being more mindful in the moment".
As a police officer, Adam was at the scene of numerous fatal road accidents.
"The first three dead people I saw were three kids that I knew through scouts or school," he said.
That crash happened at Tea Gardens when he was a young police officer.
He also worked during a spate of road fatalities in the Hunter Valley.
"The papers were calling it Death Valley. There were a lot of truck fatalities at Muswellbrook and on the Putty Road," he said.
The Newcastle crash investigation unit "worked out that if I worked a Sunday, someone would die on the road".
"I tended to attract fatal crashes," he said.
When he had his own children, witnessing youngsters dying or becoming seriously injured in crashes played on his mind more.
"I was having nightmares," he said.
Being around other people triggered his anxiety.
"I'd walk past a crowd of people and get the smell of death. I still get that.
"Even sometimes when I drive past places, I'll get the smell of blood or decay."
He lost friends over his condition.
"They think, 'why can't you just get over it, it's been 15 years'.
"It's not that I'm holding onto these things, they're holding onto me."
Adam now works as a driving instructor, with Oppy keeping watch from the backseat.
"I help people be safe on the roads," he said.
He helps people with mental and physical injuries to drive again.
This includes people who have had a stroke, live with dementia or have injuries from things like serious car crashes.
"They may have emotional obstacles deterring them from driving," Adam said.
His new job helps his mind.
"I feel like I'm still contributing to road safety, but from a different angle," he said.
He said it was "not all sunshine with an assistance dog".
"We get refused entry into restaurants sometimes. Security guards in Sydney won't let us into buildings.
"Assistance Dogs Australia sorts that out, which is brilliant. That's all thanks to people donating."
It takes $60,000 and two years to train each assistance dog.
To donate, visit assistancedogs.org.au.
EXPOSURE to numerous road fatalities during 15 years in the police force left Adam Paterson with PTSD and depression.
"I had bad flashbacks and I'd get panic attacks around people," said Adam, 49.
Oppy, his dog, changed his life.
He received the Labrador retriever through Assistance Dogs Australia, a national charity.
The organisation trains dogs to support former police, firefighters and Australian Defence Force personnel diagnosed with PTSD.
After leaving the police force in 2010, Adam spent eight years suffering from mental illness.
"It just leaves you exhausted all the time," said Adam, of Maryland in Newcastle.
"I very rarely left the house - almost never on my own.
"I was very ill. I had a couple of stays in psychiatric hospitals."
While out in public, Adam was "always hypervigilant of what was going on around me".
"That's where Oppy has helped me the most. He notices if I'm becoming distressed a lot sooner than I do.
"If he knows I'm starting to get worked up, he'll nudge me with his nose. If that's not enough, he'll woof at me. "Eventually he'll jump up on me. He's amazing."
He said Oppy gives him "time to deploy other coping mechanisms, like being more mindful in the moment".
As a police officer, Adam was at the scene of numerous fatal road accidents.
"The first three dead people I saw were three kids that I knew through scouts or school," he said.
That crash happened at Tea Gardens when he was a young police officer.
He also worked during a spate of road fatalities in the Hunter Valley.
"The papers were calling it Death Valley. There were a lot of truck fatalities at Muswellbrook and on the Putty Road," he said.
The Newcastle crash investigation unit "worked out that if I worked a Sunday, someone would die on the road".
"I tended to attract fatal crashes," he said.
When he had his own children, witnessing youngsters dying or becoming seriously injured in crashes played on his mind more.
"I was having nightmares," he said.
Being around other people triggered his anxiety.
"I'd walk past a crowd of people and get the smell of death. I still get that.
"Even sometimes when I drive past places, I'll get the smell of blood or decay."
He lost friends over his condition.
"They think, 'why can't you just get over it, it's been 15 years'.
"It's not that I'm holding onto these things, they're holding onto me."
Adam now works as a driving instructor, with Oppy keeping watch from the backseat.
"I help people be safe on the roads," he said.
He helps people with mental and physical injuries to drive again.
This includes people who have had a stroke, live with dementia or have injuries from things like serious car crashes.
"They may have emotional obstacles deterring them from driving," Adam said.
His new job helps his mind.
"I feel like I'm still contributing to road safety, but from a different angle," he said.
He said it was "not all sunshine with an assistance dog".
"We get refused entry into restaurants sometimes. Security guards in Sydney won't let us into buildings.
"Assistance Dogs Australia sorts that out, which is brilliant. That's all thanks to people donating."
It takes $60,000 and two years to train each assistance dog.
To donate, visit assistancedogs.org.au.
EXPOSURE to numerous road fatalities during 15 years in the police force left Adam Paterson with PTSD and depression.
"I had bad flashbacks and I'd get panic attacks around people," said Adam, 49.
Oppy, his dog, changed his life.
He received the Labrador retriever through Assistance Dogs Australia, a national charity.
The organisation trains dogs to support former police, firefighters and Australian Defence Force personnel diagnosed with PTSD.
After leaving the police force in 2010, Adam spent eight years suffering from mental illness.
"It just leaves you exhausted all the time," said Adam, of Maryland in Newcastle.
"I very rarely left the house - almost never on my own.
"I was very ill. I had a couple of stays in psychiatric hospitals."
While out in public, Adam was "always hypervigilant of what was going on around me".
"That's where Oppy has helped me the most. He notices if I'm becoming distressed a lot sooner than I do.
"If he knows I'm starting to get worked up, he'll nudge me with his nose. If that's not enough, he'll woof at me. "Eventually he'll jump up on me. He's amazing."
He said Oppy gives him "time to deploy other coping mechanisms, like being more mindful in the moment".
As a police officer, Adam was at the scene of numerous fatal road accidents.
"The first three dead people I saw were three kids that I knew through scouts or school," he said.
That crash happened at Tea Gardens when he was a young police officer.
He also worked during a spate of road fatalities in the Hunter Valley.
"The papers were calling it Death Valley. There were a lot of truck fatalities at Muswellbrook and on the Putty Road," he said.
The Newcastle crash investigation unit "worked out that if I worked a Sunday, someone would die on the road".
"I tended to attract fatal crashes," he said.
When he had his own children, witnessing youngsters dying or becoming seriously injured in crashes played on his mind more.
"I was having nightmares," he said.
Being around other people triggered his anxiety.
"I'd walk past a crowd of people and get the smell of death. I still get that.
"Even sometimes when I drive past places, I'll get the smell of blood or decay."
He lost friends over his condition.
"They think, 'why can't you just get over it, it's been 15 years'.
"It's not that I'm holding onto these things, they're holding onto me."
Adam now works as a driving instructor, with Oppy keeping watch from the backseat.
"I help people be safe on the roads," he said.
He helps people with mental and physical injuries to drive again.
This includes people who have had a stroke, live with dementia or have injuries from things like serious car crashes.
"They may have emotional obstacles deterring them from driving," Adam said.
His new job helps his mind.
"I feel like I'm still contributing to road safety, but from a different angle," he said.
He said it was "not all sunshine with an assistance dog".
"We get refused entry into restaurants sometimes. Security guards in Sydney won't let us into buildings.
"Assistance Dogs Australia sorts that out, which is brilliant. That's all thanks to people donating."
It takes $60,000 and two years to train each assistance dog.
To donate, visit assistancedogs.org.au.
EXPOSURE to numerous road fatalities during 15 years in the police force left Adam Paterson with PTSD and depression.
"I had bad flashbacks and I'd get panic attacks around people," said Adam, 49.
Oppy, his dog, changed his life.
He received the Labrador retriever through Assistance Dogs Australia, a national charity.
The organisation trains dogs to support former police, firefighters and Australian Defence Force personnel diagnosed with PTSD.
After leaving the police force in 2010, Adam spent eight years suffering from mental illness.
"It just leaves you exhausted all the time," said Adam, of Maryland in Newcastle.
"I very rarely left the house - almost never on my own.
"I was very ill. I had a couple of stays in psychiatric hospitals."
While out in public, Adam was "always hypervigilant of what was going on around me".
"That's where Oppy has helped me the most. He notices if I'm becoming distressed a lot sooner than I do.
"If he knows I'm starting to get worked up, he'll nudge me with his nose. If that's not enough, he'll woof at me. "Eventually he'll jump up on me. He's amazing."
He said Oppy gives him "time to deploy other coping mechanisms, like being more mindful in the moment".
As a police officer, Adam was at the scene of numerous fatal road accidents.
"The first three dead people I saw were three kids that I knew through scouts or school," he said.
That crash happened at Tea Gardens when he was a young police officer.
He also worked during a spate of road fatalities in the Hunter Valley.
"The papers were calling it Death Valley. There were a lot of truck fatalities at Muswellbrook and on the Putty Road," he said.
The Newcastle crash investigation unit "worked out that if I worked a Sunday, someone would die on the road".
"I tended to attract fatal crashes," he said.
When he had his own children, witnessing youngsters dying or becoming seriously injured in crashes played on his mind more.
"I was having nightmares," he said.
Being around other people triggered his anxiety.
"I'd walk past a crowd of people and get the smell of death. I still get that.
"Even sometimes when I drive past places, I'll get the smell of blood or decay."
He lost friends over his condition.
"They think, 'why can't you just get over it, it's been 15 years'.
"It's not that I'm holding onto these things, they're holding onto me."
Adam now works as a driving instructor, with Oppy keeping watch from the backseat.
"I help people be safe on the roads," he said.
He helps people with mental and physical injuries to drive again.
This includes people who have had a stroke, live with dementia or have injuries from things like serious car crashes.
"They may have emotional obstacles deterring them from driving," Adam said.
His new job helps his mind.
"I feel like I'm still contributing to road safety, but from a different angle," he said.
He said it was "not all sunshine with an assistance dog".
"We get refused entry into restaurants sometimes. Security guards in Sydney won't let us into buildings.
"Assistance Dogs Australia sorts that out, which is brilliant. That's all thanks to people donating."
It takes $60,000 and two years to train each assistance dog.
To donate, visit assistancedogs.org.au.
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The hardest thing for Amanda Russell is the thought of leaving her three young children and husband behind. Amanda, 44, of Murrays Beach, was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer last month. "My first thought was my kids won't remember me," she said. "And my husband Adam and I won't get to grow old together. "I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for them. My kids will have to grow up without a mum." Friend Alyssa Blenkey has started a GoFundMe, titled "Help Amanda Fight for More Time With Her Babies". "Amanda is a dedicated mum and paramedic who's always put others first. Now she needs our help," Alyssa said. She says Amanda is a "vibrant, strong and witty woman" with a big heart. "Despite everything, Amanda remains determined to fight and soak up every hug, bedtime story and messy breakfast." Her breast cancer diagnosis didn't come in the standard way. "I didn't have a lump in my breast. It was discovered because I had hip pain," she said. "I was diagnosed with bone metastases. 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It was discovered because I had hip pain," she said. "I was diagnosed with bone metastases. Being a paramedic, I knew straight away what that meant." The devastating diagnosis has changed her priorities. "If I can't do all the things I imagined for the rest of my life, I have to ask myself what are the most important things from now." Curtis, Hayden and Ruby are aged 10, nine and six. "I want to make as many core memories with them as I can, especially with my six-year-old because she's so young," she said. Amanda and Adam are both paramedics. "They have spent their lives caring for others, showing up in people's darkest moments with strength and compassion," Alyssa said. They are both off work as Adam is having knee surgery. Amanda left NSW Ambulance after 21 years because she developed PTSD. "I work in the private sector now as a paramedic," she said. "At the moment, I can't work as I have a fracture in my spine." She dreamed of being a paramedic since high school and started in the role at age 21. "I loved my career. I was devastated when I had to leave," she said. "It was a very rewarding job, but it's also very difficult." Her cancer treatment has consisted of endocrine therapy with hormone blockers. Breast surgery isn't suitable, as the cancer has spread too far. "I've just had a hysterectomy. That's to stop the oestrogen, which is making the cancer grow." Amanda sought to highlight that free mammograms through BreastScreen NSW are aimed at women over 50. "You can now get a mammogram free from age 40, but they won't invite you to have one until you're 50," she said. BreastScreen NSW states that women in their 40s "are eligible and welcome" to get free mammograms. Indigenous people are "recommended to do a breast screen from age 40". "More than 75 per cent of breast cancers are found in women aged over 50." Amanda was previously told by a doctor that she was "too young to have a mammogram". "Had I had one at 40, would that have made a difference? I'll never know," she said. "There needs to be more education that mammograms are free from age 40." The hardest thing for Amanda Russell is the thought of leaving her three young children and husband behind. Amanda, 44, of Murrays Beach, was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer last month. "My first thought was my kids won't remember me," she said. "And my husband Adam and I won't get to grow old together. "I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for them. My kids will have to grow up without a mum." Friend Alyssa Blenkey has started a GoFundMe, titled "Help Amanda Fight for More Time With Her Babies". "Amanda is a dedicated mum and paramedic who's always put others first. Now she needs our help," Alyssa said. She says Amanda is a "vibrant, strong and witty woman" with a big heart. "Despite everything, Amanda remains determined to fight and soak up every hug, bedtime story and messy breakfast." Her breast cancer diagnosis didn't come in the standard way. "I didn't have a lump in my breast. It was discovered because I had hip pain," she said. "I was diagnosed with bone metastases. Being a paramedic, I knew straight away what that meant." The devastating diagnosis has changed her priorities. "If I can't do all the things I imagined for the rest of my life, I have to ask myself what are the most important things from now." Curtis, Hayden and Ruby are aged 10, nine and six. "I want to make as many core memories with them as I can, especially with my six-year-old because she's so young," she said. Amanda and Adam are both paramedics. "They have spent their lives caring for others, showing up in people's darkest moments with strength and compassion," Alyssa said. They are both off work as Adam is having knee surgery. Amanda left NSW Ambulance after 21 years because she developed PTSD. "I work in the private sector now as a paramedic," she said. "At the moment, I can't work as I have a fracture in my spine." She dreamed of being a paramedic since high school and started in the role at age 21. "I loved my career. I was devastated when I had to leave," she said. "It was a very rewarding job, but it's also very difficult." Her cancer treatment has consisted of endocrine therapy with hormone blockers. Breast surgery isn't suitable, as the cancer has spread too far. "I've just had a hysterectomy. That's to stop the oestrogen, which is making the cancer grow." Amanda sought to highlight that free mammograms through BreastScreen NSW are aimed at women over 50. "You can now get a mammogram free from age 40, but they won't invite you to have one until you're 50," she said. BreastScreen NSW states that women in their 40s "are eligible and welcome" to get free mammograms. Indigenous people are "recommended to do a breast screen from age 40". "More than 75 per cent of breast cancers are found in women aged over 50." Amanda was previously told by a doctor that she was "too young to have a mammogram". "Had I had one at 40, would that have made a difference? I'll never know," she said. "There needs to be more education that mammograms are free from age 40." The hardest thing for Amanda Russell is the thought of leaving her three young children and husband behind. Amanda, 44, of Murrays Beach, was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer last month. "My first thought was my kids won't remember me," she said. "And my husband Adam and I won't get to grow old together. "I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for them. My kids will have to grow up without a mum." Friend Alyssa Blenkey has started a GoFundMe, titled "Help Amanda Fight for More Time With Her Babies". "Amanda is a dedicated mum and paramedic who's always put others first. Now she needs our help," Alyssa said. She says Amanda is a "vibrant, strong and witty woman" with a big heart. "Despite everything, Amanda remains determined to fight and soak up every hug, bedtime story and messy breakfast." Her breast cancer diagnosis didn't come in the standard way. "I didn't have a lump in my breast. It was discovered because I had hip pain," she said. "I was diagnosed with bone metastases. Being a paramedic, I knew straight away what that meant." The devastating diagnosis has changed her priorities. "If I can't do all the things I imagined for the rest of my life, I have to ask myself what are the most important things from now." Curtis, Hayden and Ruby are aged 10, nine and six. "I want to make as many core memories with them as I can, especially with my six-year-old because she's so young," she said. Amanda and Adam are both paramedics. "They have spent their lives caring for others, showing up in people's darkest moments with strength and compassion," Alyssa said. They are both off work as Adam is having knee surgery. Amanda left NSW Ambulance after 21 years because she developed PTSD. "I work in the private sector now as a paramedic," she said. "At the moment, I can't work as I have a fracture in my spine." She dreamed of being a paramedic since high school and started in the role at age 21. "I loved my career. I was devastated when I had to leave," she said. "It was a very rewarding job, but it's also very difficult." Her cancer treatment has consisted of endocrine therapy with hormone blockers. Breast surgery isn't suitable, as the cancer has spread too far. "I've just had a hysterectomy. That's to stop the oestrogen, which is making the cancer grow." Amanda sought to highlight that free mammograms through BreastScreen NSW are aimed at women over 50. "You can now get a mammogram free from age 40, but they won't invite you to have one until you're 50," she said. BreastScreen NSW states that women in their 40s "are eligible and welcome" to get free mammograms. Indigenous people are "recommended to do a breast screen from age 40". "More than 75 per cent of breast cancers are found in women aged over 50." Amanda was previously told by a doctor that she was "too young to have a mammogram". "Had I had one at 40, would that have made a difference? I'll never know," she said. "There needs to be more education that mammograms are free from age 40."
