Death Takes a Toll: Florida Bill Helps First Responders With PTSD
Former Orlando police officer Gerry Realin isn't the same since he spent five hours in the Pulse nightclub among the bodies of those killed in what was then the nation's deadliest mass shooting.
February 06, 2018 at 02:09 PM
5 minute read
Former Orlando police officer Gerry Realin isn't the same since he spent five hours in the Pulse nightclub among the bodies of those killed in what was then the nation's deadliest mass shooting.
He's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and sometimes still thinks he smells the dead bodies that lay in the hot club as police processed the crime scene. The once fun, mischievous practical joker now is a recluse. He rarely goes out, and when he does, it's to paddleboard alone to enjoy nature or to spend time at a park with his wife and children. He avoids crowds.
“My husband isn't the same person he was before June 12, 2016,” said his wife Jessica Realin. “I get very rare glimpses of who he was. I'm mourning the loss of who he was then, and I'm falling in love with the person he is now.”
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