During one of my stays in hospital I witnessed a war veteran being read his last rights, and I was awake for days listening to him coughing his lungs up, sometimes making sense, other times scared in an horrific world of not knowing what was going on with himself, then following on I heard him being told, if they attempted to revive him they believed his chest would collapse/thye would crack his ribs.

”He agreed to leave the world, he fought for, His son a lawyer was in attendance but didn’t seem bothered, he was actually on his phone to a client the entire time, and when finished just stated he had to shoot off with work to attend to!, to the nursing staff, and didn’t even speak to his dad - for me that was a light bulb moment !

What is it really all about!!!

What the on-earth is going on in world when a man battling both mental illness and ill health, whom had served his country is left to leave the world alone, lost, lonely with nothing but what he came he entered it with, and without even a hand to hold.

So, I offered mine! - I sat and chatted about my life, and the crazy/diverse lifestyle I had led, which made him smile and laugh one last time in his life...I heard him take his last breath and then that was it for me, time for me to review my life, and focus on what is of real importance... I cannot believe how blind the world has become...

I got myself up, unplugged all my leads, feel over/collapsed due to my nervous system being medicated, and discharged myself against advice, after hearing him cough one last time! I went home finished up my work, and agreed to leave my job  - I had completed my current assignment by that point, but never discussed the condition at the time, and never went public with it, until now - in fact I kind of accepted I was/may be retiring from M&E, but just couldn’t be bothered to talk about it, I had to go at it alone “myself-for-myself”  and needed space and time to workout my bounce-back out, and the road ahead...  (Ketley)

 He returned back to hospital two weeks later for a circa 7hr. operation (involving the top 5 consultants, and the head of department due to both the serious aspect, but also the experience for them, they all wanted to be part of it), and since time he has been fighting back to regain his arm, essentially his shoulder was taken apart/cut up, and put back together. In his life, he has also had to battle through alot of tough times, with his own health (but have risen back again-and-again, it's in the/his mindset) and knows only too well the impact mental health can cause, not just on the victim(s), but also their families as well (if they have any!) - But there is help but it needs our help to make it happen.

There is not anoth time to explain the full story, of how it made him review life itself, his life, his own life, and how important we all are,

"But we all realise it too late in life, that’s for sure!"

Today he truly believes himself a better person, because it has been an eye opening life experience, and "lest we forget" our services personnel, that keep us safe, defending us day-in-day-out, yet each year, albeit more retire from active service broken, often alone, and unsure of what to do next, or what is going on in their heads, let alone in their lives, and how to live with their day-to-day mental health.