My name is Matthew McMurray. I am a twelve-year veteran of the US Army, and I served a tour in Iraq in 2003 where I was injured in the line of duty. After returning home, my family and I adopted a puppy from a shelter and named her Sandy. We had Sandy for almost thirteen years before she had to be put down due to illness.
While we had Sandy I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, but my symptoms were not severe and were easily managed with medication. After Sandy’s death I slipped into a deep depression and my anxiety made me become reclusive. I began having insomnia and suffered from night terrors. I also packed on nearly fifty pounds and started having heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
We had heard of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs at a high school football game where I had the opportunity to meet two teams, Eric and Sun and Patrick and Trooper. My wife, fearing that I was slipping away, recalled the encounter and suggested that I apply. I submitted my application a few weeks later.
Immediately after being paired with Cobalt, I noticed positive changes. I became more sociable and less withdrawn, I was no longer afraid of going to the grocery store or mall, I became more physically active, regained a positive outlook on life, my depression subsided enough to allow me to stop taking medication, and the night terrors stopped.
In the years since our pairing, I’ve gone on to start a new career as an Information Technology Auditor, nearly tripling my income. I’ve reconnected with old friends, rekindled old hobbies, and become an advocate for service dogs and veterans’ mental health. I have a renewed sense of purpose, confidence, and freedom. The transformation has been nothing short of a miracle, and I am indeed living an amazing “new normal”.
My life before Nick was a wreck. My medical conditions, high blood pressure, that unmedicated could top over 300 (would have to have an arterial catheter to read my blood pressure) volatile blood sugars (way high, way low swings), having survived adrenal cancer that literally had me dead for 3 minutes, and surviving a very rare heart syndrome called Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome (corrected with surgery). Every little pain, ache, tremor, had me on edge. I was very suicidal for a while because I was so tired of medicating 8 pills two, three times a day and not getting better. And to add PTSD to the mix, my social experiences were spiraling out of control and I was withdrawing quickly.
Now to Nick. The same week I received him, I went out to dinner with strangers, I got my first tattoo (to memorialize my four new friends and our dogs) I survived how long in the military with no tattoos?? Lol. I swear my blood pressure dropped, as I felt great. Nick immediately started alerting to my blood sugars. Who was I? What was happening? How could all this be?? So quickly. Well proof is in the pudding. I went to my DR yesterday…my BP was 155/82!! I haven’t seen those numbers in 20 years. It has to be Nick and his super suit!! (That’s what we call his vest). Oh and my wife with the allergies, loves him, limited petting, no kisses, but he keeps trying. And my daughter…when he is free; No vest… He loves on her like they have been friends for 30 years. Really helps with the home life…and I hope he is starting to repair our family. It was stressed.
Jack has done so many things for me since I’ve had him over the past year. One thing in particular that he’s done, is at night I suffer from night terrors, and he knows how to safely wake me up when he sees I’m in the middle of one, and it comforts me when I have to pet him and tend to him, and it distracts me. So I think that has played a role in me getting a better quality of sleep. So, for him, he gets a belly rub, and I get a better night’s sleep.
From Antonio’s Mom: My son struggles everyday after being a gun shot victim at 9 years old. He was shot in the back of his head and is a blessing to be here now ❤. After 17 months he has had many brain surgeries, and we don’t know if it is over yet. We have been looking into getting him a service dog since he was able to come home from the hospital, I researched day after day. We know how important it is for our son because the aftermath of what a stranger did has changed his life forever, to never be the same again. So we looked into many places ALL let downs and rude people.
I was giving up hope, then I came across Guardian Angels, and what a blessing. They are so kind and from day one Debbi has been incredible even through my millions of questions. We went there, and wow everyone is so amazing I mean everyone. The dogs are so well taken care of and loved everyone knows all their names and you can see it in their dogs eyes they are so incredibly loved. I was talking to one of the trainers and he was telling me how he loves going there everyday and how much their dogs mean to him that was what I was looking for in a organization that loves what they do and their dogs. I mean each beautiful dog has their own little swimming pool so sweet. I am so excited for my son and his future with his service dog from Guardian Angels. I know they have a bright future, and I want to help in every way I can.
What an incredible organization, and group of people.
