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Jo Terry: ‘PTSD does not have to end in tragedy’

After Kentucky Assistant Chief Chip Terry died by suicide, his widow made it her mission to help first responders get the help they need for PTSD

Kentucky Assistant Chief Chip Terry called himself a public servant – and lived by those words, shares his widow, Jo Terry: “He was there to serve the public. Now it’s our turn to help serve you.” Following Chip’s death by suicide in 2017, Jo started the Chip Terry Fund, which strives to educate first responders and their families about PTSD and provide funding to offer mental health treatments to those in need. Jo shares Chip’s story, including what healthcare provided missed in their assessments and how his PTSD impacted their entire family, plus all this:

  • The “big warning signs” of a firefighter in crisis, including “Jackass Syndrome”
  • Why spouses often detect the problem first
  • The physiological processes that make PTSD difficult to manage alone
  • Why Jo says, “it shouldn’t be a widow’s job to do this”

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Previously on the Better Every Shift Podcast