A Lowestoft veteran is traversing 20 miles along the Suffolk coast in March to raise money for the charity that helped him to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Lee Cutter, a 50-year-old veteran who served in the Royal Artillery for 24 years, is taking on ‘March in March’ to raise awareness and funds for Combat Stress, the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health.
‘March in March’ is a walking challenge devised by Combat Stress that asks participants to walk or run or a minimum of 10 miles on any day during the month of March. All funds raised enable the charity to continue delivering its life-changing specialist mental health services to veterans.
An extremely active person by nature, Lee saw this challenge as the motivation to begin building his fitness and physical health back up after having just recovered from prostate cancer surgery, while also supporting veterans who are struggling with their mental health like he did.
Recounting his mental health struggles, Lee said:
“Shortly after leaving the Army in 2011, things took a turn for the worse. I felt extremely isolated, angry, confused and at times scared of my own thoughts. My temper was unbearable, and my drinking was out of control. Soon I even began to have night terrors and flashbacks.
“My mental health was starting to have a negative impact on my wife and family, so I approached my GP for help and was referred to Combat Stress.
“Combat Stress felt like a home. They helped me survive a deeply troubled part of my life and have been a stalwart to my successful recovery. I do have tough days still, but they are much fewer and I can honestly say I am a very different person to the man who left the Army.”
Lee is planning to start his challenge on Friday 4 March with just five miles to ease himself into things following his recent cancer surgery but is determined to complete the remaining 15 miles of his 20 mile target by the end of the month.
To support Lee’s challenge visit: https://events.combatstress.org.uk/fundraisers/leecutter/marchinmarch
To find out more about Combat Stress’ March in March challenge, or to sign-up visit: marchinmarch.co.uk
