Bosnia war veteran, 61, with PTSD says picking up fishing rod saved his life

mirror.co.uk:

The crunch of footsteps on gravel behind him was all it took to trigger the flight response in Steve Johnston’s mind. Spooked, he dropped the rods and bait he was unloading tentatively from his car, and sprinted, terrified, 15 metres across the car park.

Finally stopping at the confused “Sorry, mate” from the guy walking innocently behind him, he shook uncontrollably as he struggled to even form the words to explain his surprising reaction.

A veteran of the war in Bosnia, crippled by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this was the very first time Steve had ventured from his flat for more than two years, aside from night time scuttles to a supermarket.