Massachusetts firefighter with PTSD fights for disability benefits: "This is costing people's lives"
"And I have the mother the whole time screaming, 'save my baby, save my baby, that's all I have to live for.' And the baby didn't make it," Sirois recalled, "I was a mess because, at the time, I had a one-and-a-half-year-old."
In the moment, Sirois did not realize that the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder were seeping into his life.
"I would cry all the time. I'd have panic attacks. I would have flashbacks. I didn't know what it was at the time until it was explained to me. My wife, I've known her since I've been four years old and she would say, I don't even know who you are," he said.
In 2020, Sirois said he went to a call that broke him. He claims he was in a smoke-filled basement when he started to lose oxygen from his mask.
"I'm lost in this room and now I'm panicking. I had a severe panic attack. Thought I was going to die," he said.
Since then, Sirois says he has fought for his life and for a Methuen Retirement Board to recognize his disability and compensate him for it.
In Massachusetts, first responders who can prove they were injured on the job are eligible for 72% of their salary, tax free, for life with approval from a local retirement board. In Methuen, the board is made up five people, some of them elected, others appointed by the mayor.
After the 2020 call, Sirois says his therapist diagnosed him with severe complex PTSD. He left work and had four different inpatient hospital stays and then applied for retirement benefits. Despite input from roughly a dozen doctors who connected his PTSD to his job, the board denied him twice.
"It's just insane when I have all these doctors saying the same thing," Sirois said.
The problem for Sirois is a Massachusetts law which requires injured first responders to seek retirement within two years of being injured. His therapist, Jeff Zeizel, told WBZ that formula does not work when it comes to PTSD.
"The problem with the two year rule is a first responder could be exposed literally decades prior, the systems show up currently," Zeizel said.
There is proposed legislation at the State House to amend the two year rule.
The 2020 call happened within two years of Sirois seeking retirement but the Methuen Retirement Board sent WBZ a statement saying the board did not agree that that event caused Sirois's PTSD.
"Thus, while Mr. Sirois was able to convince the medical panel which examined him that the December 29, 2020 incident was what caused him to stop working 6 months later and aggravated his PTSD to the point of permanent incapacity, the Board - as the fact finder - believes the evidence does not support that opinion," said Michael Sacco, an attorney who represents the Methuen Retirement Board.
Zeizel also argues that retirement boards have the power to disregard medical opinions.
"You have non-medical or psychiatric professionals rendering opinions about psychiatric injuries that they have no experience about," he said.
Sirois appealed the Board's denials and won his appeal before a magistrate. Now, the Retirement Board is seeking to overturn that decision before another state board, a process which could take five to seven years.
While he waits, Sirois says he wants to help erase the stigma around first responder mental health and help others who are suffering from PTSD seek treatment.
"I can't take the pressure. I can't take the sadness. I can't take the pain. I can't take the people not believing me. It's got to change. This is costing people's lives," he said.
If you or someone you know is a first responder suffering from mental health issues, there are resources in our area:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
31 minutes ago
- Fox News
Doctor urges parents to take 'digital pacifiers' away from children
'The Anxious Generation' author Dr. Jonathan Haidt describes the impact of smartphones on Gen Z's mental health and reveals 'nature's recipe' for growing up on 'Fox & Friends Weekend.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Should You Take a Vitamin B12 Supplement?
Credit - Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Images: eyenigelen/Getty Images, Sersol/Getty Images) Everyone needs vitamin B12: It helps the body produce red blood cells and maintain healthy brain function, along with so many other things. But are you getting enough of it? Here's what to know about vitamin B12 and whether you should consider upping your levels. A boon for brain health 'Vitamin B12 is important for brain health because it helps protect nerve cells in the brain, which support memory and thinking skills,' says Michelle Routhenstein, a preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator in New York. It's water-soluble, so the body does not store it in large amounts, and daily intake is essential. The current federal recommendations are for adults to get 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 per day. Great food sources of B12 include seafood like oysters, salmon and tuna, beef, and fortified products like nutritional yeast, plant-based milks, some breads and breakfast cereals, says Routhenstein. But some recent research suggests that some people may need even more than that. Vitamin B12 deficiencies can impact your brain function even when your intake levels are considered normal, says Dr. Ari J. Green, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco's department of ophthalmology. In a recent study, Green and his colleagues found that people with B12 levels that were technically normal but on the lower end of the range had impaired brain function. 'We could detect neurological impairment at levels currently considered 'normal,' independently of other factors like years of education," particularly in older people, says Dr. Alexandra Beaudry-Richard, a resident at McGill University and co-author of the study. 'To us, this should reinvigorate a conversation about how much B12 is needed for optimal neurological function.' Read More: Should You Take a Vitamin D Supplement? Other studies have found that people with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment tend to have lower B12 levels—and supplementation with B12 can reduce the rate of brain atrophy. However, on the opposite end, the study showed signs of a possible detrimental effect on the brain when people had high B12 levels in their blood. 'This warrants further studies to evaluate what healthy B12 levels are on both ends of the spectrum,' says Dr. Ahmed Abdelhak, one of the study's authors and a clinical instructor in neurology at UCSF School of Medicine. Should you take a B12 supplement? You can (and should) get B12 from your diet, but some people may have a tough time getting adequate levels of the nutrient from food alone. Older adults are more likely to develop vitamin B12 deficiencies because the vitamin requires stomach acid to be absorbed, and stomach acid production starts to decline with age. Routhenstein recommends people look closer into their B12 status starting around age 50 or if they are at higher risk of a B12 deficiency. This category includes vegans and vegetarians, people taking specific medications that interfere with B12 absorption such as metformin or proton pump inhibitors, and those who have gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn's, celiac, or atrophic gastritis. You can get tested for a vitamin B12 deficiency at your annual physical. If you are deficient, your doctor might recommend supplementation. Read More: 7 Surprising Symptoms of Lyme Disease The UCSF study authors recommend checking levels starting at age 70, but you can get it checked on a standard blood test at any age through your primary care physician. Dr. Ralph Green, a professor of pathology and lab medicine at the University of California, Davis—and another author on that recent study—says that checking B12 may also be valuable for people who have unexplained symptoms that have been linked to B12 deficiency. For those with declining gastric function, he says taking supplements is likely the best way to promote absorption, and the level of supplementation a person should consume depends on whether their absorption is normal or not. Pregnant women, too, need higher B12 intake to support fetal brain development; if you're pregnant, consult with your ob-gyn about optimal B12 levels for you. What kind of B12 supplement is best? B12 in supplements and fortified foods can be more easily absorbed than from food, especially for older adults and those with absorption issues, says Routhenstein. If your doctor has advised you to take a B12 supplement, it's best to ask them to recommend specific dosages and brands. But Routhenstein recommends following these general guidelines when selecting a B12 supplement. Always look for those with methylcobalamin on the label, as this is the most bioavailable form of B12, meaning the body can absorb it the best. It's also the optimal form for heart and brain health and nerve function, she says. Sublingual (under the tongue) or liquid B12 is often touted for better absorption. This form of B12 does so 'by bypassing the digestive system and entering the bloodstream directly,' says Routhenstein. Of course, no supplement is a cure-all, and there are other ways to support brain health, including maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Activities that stimulate multiple brain areas simultaneously are excellent at promoting cognitive longevity, Beaudry-Richard says. Practicing a musical instrument, dancing, and studying a foreign language daily, for example, all recruit 'brain circuits responsible for vision, hearing, movement, emotions' and more. 'It's like a full-body workout for the brain,' she says. Contact us at letters@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Viking's Oral Obesity Drug Poised To Gain Ground After Eli Lilly's Orforglipron Setback: Analyst
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) is pressing ahead in the weight-loss drug race with the launch of its Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral trial to test a daily pill version of VK2735 in obese and overweight adults, a move analysts say could position the company to capitalize on Eli Lilly's recent setback and expand treatment options beyond injections. The study, which began in January 2025, will assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and weight-loss efficacy of once-daily oral dosing over a 13-week period. VK2375 is being developed in oral and subcutaneous formulations. The target population consists of adults with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) or who are overweight (BMI ≥27 kg/m2) with at least one weight-related co-morbid study's primary endpoint is the percent change in body weight from baseline after 13 weeks of treatment. Secondary and exploratory endpoints will evaluate additional safety and efficacy measures. Viking expects to release results in the second half of 2025, with William Blair projecting an August readout. Analyst Andy Hsieh wrote Tuesday, 'Our base-case expectation is to replicate the 4-week Phase I results, translating to a placebo-adjusted weight loss of slightly under 7% for the highest doses.' Hsieh highlighted the advantage of using the same active ingredient across oral and injectable formats, allowing patients to switch between the two without increasing the risk of new side effects. William Blair reiterated its Outperform rating on Viking shares. Given the underwhelming weight loss magnitude from Eli Lilly and Co.'s (NYSE:LLY) Phase 3 ATTAIN-1 trial of orforglipron, coupled with potential uncertainties associated with the persistent rate of adverse events, the analyst believes the setback creates a clinical void for smaller competitors to fill. 'We expect Viking to rise to the occasion and demonstrate the potential of the oral tablet formulation of VK2735 as a competitive option in the maintenance setting. We therefore would be buyers before the Phase II VENTURE-oral readout,' William Blair wrote in an investor note on Tuesday. In June, Viking Therapeutics initiated the VANQUISH Phase 3 clinical program for subcutaneous VK2735. In 2024, Viking announced topline results from the Phase 2 VENTURE study of subcutaneous VK2735 in obesity. Patients receiving VK2735 demonstrated statistically significant reductions in mean body weight from baseline, ranging up to 14.7%, and statistically significant reductions in mean body weight relative to placebo, ranging up to 13.1%. Price Action: VKTX stock is trading higher by 2.38% to $40.81 at last check Wednesday. Read Next:Image via Shutterstock Latest Ratings for VKTX Date Firm Action From To Feb 2022 Raymond James Maintains Outperform Jul 2021 Raymond James Maintains Outperform May 2021 Raymond James Downgrades Strong Buy Outperform View More Analyst Ratings for VKTX View the Latest Analyst Ratings Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Viking's Oral Obesity Drug Poised To Gain Ground After Eli Lilly's Orforglipron Setback: Analyst originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
