Although my attempt at an Indiegogo crowd source
fundraising campaign was not as successful as I had hoped, I kept pushing
forward and I have been blessed to find a very talented Iraqi war veteran named
Chas Evans from Mississippi, to record the song. (I guess everything happens
for a reason) ‘This Flag Flies Free’
will soon be available to the public to download and I will keep you posted of
how things are progressing.
That being said, I will am
reposting a revised blog I did for the Indiegogo campaign, to give you insight
to my what ‘This Flag Flies Free’ is all about and what I am going to
do.
So here it is! If you like what I am attempting to
do, then help me help them. Most of you know what P.T.S.D. is all about, but
please share this with those who don't know…
Are you one of those people that look at what is
going on in the world and think, “that’s not right, something should be done
about that” Or say, “I wish I could help”?
Well here is your chance to help. Since Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder was recognized as a disorder in 1980 there have been
organizations established to assist people with this silent killer.
Unfortunately, P.T.S.D. is an invisible epidemic and there are more people
suffering from P.T.S.D. today than ever before and not enough resources to help
those afflicted with it. It is said that an estimated 70 percent of adults in
North America have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their
lives and up to 20 percent of these people go on to develop Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder, or P.T.S.D.
The most prominent group that suffers from P.T.S.D.
is our Military; I’m sure you’ve seen the news clips, the movies, the
documentaries and can understand why. You may even be one of them or are
related to or know someone that has served, or that has been traumatized. Then
you are already aware of the dilemma that faces those seeking help. It’s not
just our Military that suffers from P.T.S.D., but right now they are the
majority.
Here are some staggering facts.
An estimated 5 percent of North Americans – more
than 13 million people – have P.T.S.D. at any given time. Approximately 8-9
percent of all adults, that’s about one in 13 people, will develop P.T.S.D.
during their lifetime.
Outside of the Military, it’s estimated that 1 out
of 10 women will get P.T.S.D. at some time in their lives. Women are about
twice as likely as men to develop P.T.S.D. This may be due to the fact that
women tend to experience interpersonal violence (such as domestic violence,
rape or abuse) more often than men.
Almost 17 percent of men and 13 percent of women
have experienced more than three traumatic events in their lives.
The
estimated risk for developing P.T.S.D. for people who have experienced the
following traumatic events is:
·
Rape (49 percent)
·
Severe beating or physical assault (31.9 percent)
·
Other sexual assault (23.7 percent)
· Serious
accident or injury; for example, car or train accident (16.8 percent)
·
Shooting or stabbing (15.4 percent)
·
Sudden, unexpected death of family member or friend (14.3 percent)
·
Child’s life-threatening illness (10.4 percent)
·
Witness to killing or serious injury (7.3 percent)
·
Natural disaster (3.8 percent)
How does this affect me?
Well you have read the statistics and as I am sure
most of you are aware that on any given day, an accident or something totally
unexpected may happen and we pray that it doesn’t involve you. But, that is not
always the case. The statistics don’t lie. If we aren’t already part of those
statistics, we could be tomorrow. We’re not fortune tellers, we can’t predict
the future, but I am sure most of us have some kind of insurance in place just
on the freak chance something does happen. Just as I am sure that the people of
New York just thought it was just another sunny Tuesday morning before the Twin
Towers were hit. It is a day, for everyone that saw it will have ingrained on
their minds for the rest of their lives.
How can I
help?
We have to
ensure that resources are in place and organizations that treat those that
suffer from P.T.S.D are properly equipped to do their work. Then we have
to help the people that have put themselves in harm’s way to protect us and our
freedoms first. That is our Military. Secondly, we have to look after our First
Responders because they are the people that are running into the danger that we
are running from. Finally, we have to make certain that every person that has
ever been traumatized and seeks help gets it.
I developed a concept and
written a song called ‘This Flag Flies Free’, which is being recorded by an
American Iraqi war veteran. Once the song is available to download, 100%
the funds generated from those downloads, will be donated to organizations that
assist those that deal with the torment of P.T.S.D.
You won’t be
saying something should be done about this, you will be saying, I did something
about it. In the meantime, follow this flag flies free on facebook and Twitter
to keep up to date with the progression of this song.
It is time for us as a society to stand up and look after those who stood where we couldn’t to protect us.
It is time for us as a society to stand up and look after those who stood where we couldn’t to protect us.
#thisflagfliesfree
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