A long road to recovery (From Evesham Journal)

A long road to recovery

2:00pm Saturday 18th February 2012 in News By Sarah Taylor

IT has been a long road to recovery for John Macartney.

After beating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTDS) and recovering from a stroke, the Evesham resident took part in the ultimate road trip through Canada and the United States of America.

The trip was even more remarkable as doctors told Mr Macartney he was unlikely to drive again.

Now he has mapped out his 18,000-mile journey, known as the Triumph Trans-America Charity Drive, in a new book called Turn Left at the Pacific.

The book follows the car enthusiast on his trip across North America back in 2009 but also focuses on the largely undiscussed subject of PTSD and his own personal story.

Mr Macartney suffered with PTSD after working for a US tractor firm in Baghdad, Iraq, during the 1980s alongside seven colleagues. While there, he witnessed the violence of the Iraq and Iran war. He is the only surviving member of the team now as his colleagues turned to drink and drugs and even suicide to cope with their trauma.

He decided to raise awareness of the disorder with his trip while also meeting up with fellow sufferers along the way.

“It was enjoyable to recap the trip,” said Mr Macartney, who kept a diary of his trip, along with a blog and a logbook, to record the details of his journey.

“I have a map of the route in the kitchen and the number plate from the car and every time I see it I think to myself, you are a raving nutcase for doing that.

“But there were difficult bits.

We met some people with really severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that was hard to recall in some ways, but it was great we were able to help them. I spoke to about 5,000 people along the route and there were lots of people who came along with us.”

Mr Macartney, of Avon Street, Evesham, made the journey in a restored 1973 Triumph Stag and was told his trip was the longest ever undertaken for charity in North America. It also raised a massive £40,000 for three charities, including the sole UK beneficiary Assist Trauma Care, in Rugby, which helped Mr Macartney through his recovery.

“Writing it was really cathartic.

It was quite hard going when writing the about PTSD because I have included my own story.

But the main recollections I have of the trip are of incredible kindness and generosity.”

Turn Left at the Pacific is split into sections. In opens with the beginning of the trip and the reasons behind the journey before it moves on to discuss the establishment of Mr Macartney’s friendships in North America.

The third section focuses on the rebuild of the Stag. The fourth part revisits the journey and then summarises the book. Finally Mr Macartney discusses PTSD, his story and that of other sufferers he has met.

“I hope the book will appeal to car enthusiasts, people interested in travelling and those with PTSD,” says Mr Macartney.

“It may also be helpful to people who know they are different to how they used to be but are not sure why. Or for friends and family who know someone, and this may make them think about why they are now acting like this.

“The tragedy of PTSD is that you literally cannot talk about it.

You want to get it out but you can’t because you are afraid to revisit the thing that caused it. I have become an advocate for this charity and for people who suffer from the illness because they don’t know what to do. I hope the book gives others hope.”

The book will continue to raise money for PTSD charities.

Anyone who would like to buy a copy can visit standard-triumphbooks.

co.uk, e-mail Mr Macartney on flywheelcoventry1 @yahoo.co.uk or call him on 07770 923191.