Focusing on the positive things in life

Rusty:

I'm Rusty, I served in the United States Army from 2006 to 2013. I served two deployments. My first combat deployment was into Iraq, went back into Afghanistan August 2010. I was there about seven weeks into my second deployment when I was critically injured. The bomb propelled me about 25 meters into a creek. It immediately amputated both of my legs. It amputated my left arm a little bit below the elbow. They put me in a medically induced coma, and I was in a coma for about two weeks.

Anybody that's severely wounded to a gunshot wound there's gonna be anger issues. What are you laying up in bed for? Why are you not back in the fight? Why are you not back with your guys for? And that was always going through my mind.

I knew I had issues. Not sleeping well at night, waking up searching for my gun. Having night terrors. Once I got into Brooke Army Medical Center, there was a few surgeries that I did that I needed to have done, revisions and stuff to that effect. And then I started seeing the psychiatrist.

I went to like 12 sessions, and then sometimes we'd address my issues, and it's helped out a lot. I'd go in looking at the negatives, and he could sit there in our sessions and just point out the positives. Like you're still able to drive, you're taking your kids to school. Looking at the optimistic side of it, and not always thinking this is it for me. If you limit yourself in your mind to this is it for me, then that's what you're going to live with the rest your life.

I still have my bad days. It's just being able to identify it, and not dwell on it. And just look at the positive things in life. It's being able to go out relate with somebody what you've gone through. That's done wonders for me.