The Pup Who Saved Our Marriage
After a life-changing accident, John and Anna discovered the secret to John’s recovery in the form of a four-legged friend
When John Lewis visited a London school one Friday afternoon as part of his role in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, his life changed forever. John was outside showing pupils an armoured personnel carrier, when the school bus reversed into the car park and didn’t see him.
Within seconds, John was crushed between the bus and the troop carrier.
“I couldn’t breathe,” he says. “It happened so quickly. I was in shock. I fell to the ground and all I could see was the double wheels at the back of the bus. I knew I had to get out of the way in case the bus reversed back again.”
Despite multiple injuries, including a shattered pelvis and hip and a broken leg, John crawled five metres on his elbows to get out of the way of the wheels. An ambulance arrived and John was rushed to Whittington Hospital.
“My first thought was,was ‘will I be able to walk again?’,” he recalls. “None of the doctors could answer that.”
His injuries were so severe, that the doctors couldn’t operate until six months later.
He had 11 operations in total and it was two years before he could walk again.
Shortly after he was discharged from hospital, he had a visit from Anna. They were old friends and had met in the Cadet Forces. She had heard about the accident and wanted to check he was OK.
“John was still on crutches at the time,” says Anna. “He was living on his own and didn’t have any carers, so I helped out a bit with cooking meals and washing up and things. We had the same interests and got on well, we’d sit for hours chatting.”
As the months went on, they grew closer and eventually married and
had two children together.
However, although John improved physically, he couldn’t get over the trauma of what had happened.
“My mind was still on edge,” he says. “I was scared of large vehicles and the sound of a reverse beeping noise. I would have flashbacks and sometimes be sick.”
He was terrified of crowds and didn’t want to leave home.
Concerned, Anna encouraged him to get help, but John didn’t think he had a problem.
“Initially, he was so focused on medically getting better, I don’t think the long term impact really hit him,” she says.
They left London and moved to the countryside in North Devon. But when Anna started working longer hours, John’s anxiety worsened.
“Anytime Anna was away from home, I couldn’t relax,” he says. “My mind would run all over the place, so that I’d be so stressed by the time she came home, it got to the point where Anna didn’t want to go out and it was affecting our marriage.”
As the years went on, John’s mental health deteriorated, he suffered from depression, began to self-harm m and had suicidal thoughts.
“I felt like I was letting everybody down,” he says. “It was beginning to take over my life. I didn’t know what to do.”
John had counselling and various types of therapy and was diagnosed with PTSD, but none of the treatment seemed to help.
Then last year, at a Combat Stress Hospital, he was introduced to the therapeutic power of animals and a doctor told him that a puppy could help with his anxiety.
“I’d never thought of it as a mechanism for coping before,” he says. “We already had a family dog, but he was old and set in his ways. The doctor explained that puppies can help manage stress and focus the mind.”
In May 2019, they enlisted the help of a four-legged friend – a black Labrador pup, called Gibson.
“To say he’s changed my life is an understatement,” ,
“Gibson is an i incredible dibl ddog, andd hhas given John focus, a new lease of life”
says John. “After just a few weeks, I could feel myself improving. If ever I was feeling anxious, he would jump up on the sofa and sit on my chest and I found that really reassuring and comforting.
“We go out and play frisbee or ball, and I now look forward to going out for walks whereas before I would make excuses to stay in the house.”
Since John has been taking Gibson for walks three or four times a day, Anna has also noticed a difference.
“Gibson has made a huge impact, he has been a massive help and comfort to John,” she says. “It has given him a focus and new lease of life. Gibson is an incredible dog who adores John – he’s a fantastic companion.”
John is now also taking part in the Generation Pup study to help future generations of dogs.
“Gibson has done so much for me in a short space of time, I wanted to do something for him, too,” he says.