- Matthew Ivan
It Takes a Warrior: Battling PTSD
Zak Jaime is a Marine who served oversees in 2003-2004. When he returned home from his deployment, he found readjustment very difficult. For years the stressors of his diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) caused many issues for him including loss of relationships, inability to keep employment, as well as some minor legal problems.
In 2009 Zak started to seek treatment from the Veteran's Center in Saginaw. Through many sessions of therapy; learning how to cope and to readjust to life outside the military, Zak was finally feeling like he was able to be productive and he began to change his life. It was at this point he realized he wanted to do more to help others in similar situations with PTSD.
Zak went to college and obtained a master's degree in Social Work. He later founded a non-profit to assist veterans with readjusting to life outside the military. It Takes A Warrior is a free mental health and crisis response team that helps veterans with therapy, peer support, crisis intervention, furniture, and even obtaining emotional support animals. It Takes A Warrior also does many presentations in the Great Lakes Bay Region to bring awareness to PTSD. If you know a veteran who could use this assistance, please call It Takes A Warrior at (989) 714-9290.
Zak Jaime (center) with fellow veterans Nick Collins (left) and Brent Mason (right) at a recent fundraiser for It Takes a Warrior.