EXCLUSIVE: The former England star has opened up
Former England Football captain Terry Butcher has helped to launch a book designed to help soldiers, veterans and their families who are suffering with PTSD and its wider impacts.
Butcher's son, Christopher Butcher, died in 2017 aged just 35 from a heart condition linked to PTSD.
Since then, the former Three Lions captain has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness and support those affected.
Speaking on GB News, Butcher movingly spoke about his son saying: “[My son] Chris graduated and then decided the Paras weren’t for him, so he decided to go Royal Artillery. He loved being in the Army; he loved the camaraderie, the spirit, everything else, and he had a great career ahead of him.
“He went to Iraq and Afghanistan and came back, and everything was fine. We were so relieved as parents. And then the signs started to be there of PTSD.
“It was quite a while after he came back; they sort of manifested themselves and everything went downhill after that.
“It was a long fight for him to try and get help, but there was no help available. There was no one he could turn to. And in the end, my wife and I, we had to care for him, which was very, very difficult for all of us.
“He was with us for about 18 months and then in the end, he passed away. He had an enlarged heart. He was struggling very much with PTSD, so he turned to alcohol as most veterans do when they when they have this problem.
“And in the end, he passed away eight years ago. We had no help at the time, and we didn't have any anybody giving us advice or where we could go.
“I went to combat to coffee a few years ago with Nigel [Surname] and the author of the book, Rob Parker, presented this to us and sent it to me. And everything in here, in this book, was so true and with us, we virtually, it was like a manual for us, or a diary, really, of what was happening and what could happen.
“And the best thing about the book and the best thing about his story is that they all came through together, but it was a long, long fight to do that, and many veterans are like that now.
“Many veterans are facing many of their own problems, and then the families become affected. Our family was very much affected, and we didn't want any other families to go through that.
“It is still very raw and emotional, even though it was eight years ago that he passed away. But this book is something special. It's a niche market. It's like the normal publications and SAS books and all these kinds of things.
“It's simple. It's factual. The illustrations are great and there are lists in here of places where people can go to.
“And the fact that it says you are not alone: We felt alone. My son felt alone, and we don't want people to feel alone. They've got to take the first step, and that's why combat 2 Coffee is so vital because have a brew, have a sip, have a cup of coffee, and then the conversation starts.
“It's about making people aware that there is help, there is a life at the end of the tunnel.”
The book, called You Are Not Alone, is written by Rob Parker, and raises awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among military veterans and their families.
Told through the perspectives of veteran Jack, his wife Sarah, and their two children, the short illustrated story captures the hidden struggles faced by families when a loved one returns home from military service.
One of the organisations Terry has supported for over a decade is Combat2Coffee, where he serves as patron and whose mantra is ‘changing lives - one sip at a time’.
The book is being sold on the Combat2Coffee website with profits reinvested into Combat2Coffee. Charities Scotty’s Little Soldiers and The Not Forgotten, supporting bereaved children and socially isolated veterans, will also benefit.
Appearing alongside Butcher on GB News, Nigel Seaman, founder of Combat 2 Coffee, said: “I'm a veteran myself, and "I've had my own struggles, [I’ve been] very open about that.
"I've been working with Rob [Parker] for about 18 months to produce something that could support not only the veteran or the serving person, but the family member as well.
“Because when I had my breakdown through something which happened to me in the military, I realised quite soon after I was starting my recovery journey, that my children, my family, my direct family, are the ones who suffered and they didn't join the military.
“Combat 2 Coffee have a website, and the book is launched formally on Thursday [20th November]. That will be going on sale on the website, which we can then distribute.
“We're working with prison industries to produce the book, so some veterans in custody will help to hopefully publish this book as well, and print the book.
"Then we can then give something back to those and try and create second opportunities for those who are probably suffering trauma and it's linked to offending.”
To purchase the book visit combat2coffee.co.uk
