Zero
to Hero
to Hero
On The Brink of Disaster
By Wayne M. Zygowicz
This
is story of heroism under the extreme conditions and unbeatable odds. Similar
stories of such unparalleled courage and bravery have played out time and again
across America when first responders face death to save other people’s lives.
If you ask most of them afterwards they’ll tell you they don’t feel like a
hero. The media instantly turns these people into supermen by making them overnight
sensations as their heroic stories get beamed into our living rooms, computers
and smart phones as the events are unfolding.
is story of heroism under the extreme conditions and unbeatable odds. Similar
stories of such unparalleled courage and bravery have played out time and again
across America when first responders face death to save other people’s lives.
If you ask most of them afterwards they’ll tell you they don’t feel like a
hero. The media instantly turns these people into supermen by making them overnight
sensations as their heroic stories get beamed into our living rooms, computers
and smart phones as the events are unfolding.
For
many of these brave people their minutes of heroism are difficult to cope with and
their lives spiral out of control as the camera lights fade and the media
circus ends. Experts believe it can take months or years to deal with the full
impact of the traumatic event as the person attempts to return to normal life.
Often haunted by flashbacks, sleeplessness, depression, obsession with the
event and undiagnosed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many of these
heroes lives crumble. Dealing with the emotional toll of the event can be
overwhelming and end in suicide. In the aftermath of 911 and the Oklahoma City bombing
rescue personnel took their lives by suicide. Going from zero to hero can have
disastrous effects on first responders and the lives of their families.
many of these brave people their minutes of heroism are difficult to cope with and
their lives spiral out of control as the camera lights fade and the media
circus ends. Experts believe it can take months or years to deal with the full
impact of the traumatic event as the person attempts to return to normal life.
Often haunted by flashbacks, sleeplessness, depression, obsession with the
event and undiagnosed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many of these
heroes lives crumble. Dealing with the emotional toll of the event can be
overwhelming and end in suicide. In the aftermath of 911 and the Oklahoma City bombing
rescue personnel took their lives by suicide. Going from zero to hero can have
disastrous effects on first responders and the lives of their families.
In
every sense of the word Ryan Cooper is a hero. It’s not something he would have
chosen for himself but his lifesaving actions are well documented. If you asked
him about that day, July 10, 2007, he would tell you “I did what any other police
officer, firefighter or paramedic would do under similar circumstance.” On that
day Ryan did what he had been doing for 15 years with the fire department. He saved
lives. And because of that day Ryan Copper’s life, as he knew it, was never the
same again.
every sense of the word Ryan Cooper is a hero. It’s not something he would have
chosen for himself but his lifesaving actions are well documented. If you asked
him about that day, July 10, 2007, he would tell you “I did what any other police
officer, firefighter or paramedic would do under similar circumstance.” On that
day Ryan did what he had been doing for 15 years with the fire department. He saved
lives. And because of that day Ryan Copper’s life, as he knew it, was never the
same again.
On
that ill-fated morning Ryan was saying goodbye to his wife in the driveway of
their Sanford, Florida home when he heard a sound he says he’ll never forget. A
twin engine Cessna, engine sputtering and smoke filling the cockpit, clipped palm
trees in his neighborhood and crashed in a ball of flames engulfing two homes.
Ryan, a Lake Mary (Florida) firefighter/ paramedic, without hesitation donned his
bunker gear left in his truck between shifts and entered the burning homes
looking for survivors. Ryan was credited with saving a badly burned 10 year old
boy under severe fire condition fueled by the burning aviation fuel from the
downed aircraft. While searching the second home for a little girl believed to
be in a bedroom Ryan became lost and disoriented in dense smoke conditions.
With the help of a police officer yelling his name from the front door Ryan was
able to escape the inferno. This usually quiet suburban neighborhood was littered
with airplane parts and burning debris as arriving police cars and fire trucks
rushed into the scene. Ryan was transported to the hospital for smoke
inhalation and exhaustion where he spent three days in ICU. Fire people died in
the tragedy – two adults aboard the aircraft and a woman and two children in
the homes. Four were badly injured.
that ill-fated morning Ryan was saying goodbye to his wife in the driveway of
their Sanford, Florida home when he heard a sound he says he’ll never forget. A
twin engine Cessna, engine sputtering and smoke filling the cockpit, clipped palm
trees in his neighborhood and crashed in a ball of flames engulfing two homes.
Ryan, a Lake Mary (Florida) firefighter/ paramedic, without hesitation donned his
bunker gear left in his truck between shifts and entered the burning homes
looking for survivors. Ryan was credited with saving a badly burned 10 year old
boy under severe fire condition fueled by the burning aviation fuel from the
downed aircraft. While searching the second home for a little girl believed to
be in a bedroom Ryan became lost and disoriented in dense smoke conditions.
With the help of a police officer yelling his name from the front door Ryan was
able to escape the inferno. This usually quiet suburban neighborhood was littered
with airplane parts and burning debris as arriving police cars and fire trucks
rushed into the scene. Ryan was transported to the hospital for smoke
inhalation and exhaustion where he spent three days in ICU. Fire people died in
the tragedy – two adults aboard the aircraft and a woman and two children in
the homes. Four were badly injured.
Even
before he left his hospital bed Ryan was being hounded by the media for an
interview. The day after the crash he talked with Matt Lauer on the Today Show
about his terrible ordeal while recovering at the hospital. He became an
instant celebrity and was hailed as a hero. Ryan received hundreds of cards,
letters and emails of support from around the world thanking him for his bravery
and courage. The City of Sanford passed a resolution declaring August 17th
Ryan Cooper Day and one web site
acknowledge him as the “bad ass of the week.” His picture appeared on soft
drink cups at fast food restaurants also proclaiming him a hero.
before he left his hospital bed Ryan was being hounded by the media for an
interview. The day after the crash he talked with Matt Lauer on the Today Show
about his terrible ordeal while recovering at the hospital. He became an
instant celebrity and was hailed as a hero. Ryan received hundreds of cards,
letters and emails of support from around the world thanking him for his bravery
and courage. The City of Sanford passed a resolution declaring August 17th
Ryan Cooper Day and one web site
acknowledge him as the “bad ass of the week.” His picture appeared on soft
drink cups at fast food restaurants also proclaiming him a hero.
Ryan’s
tried to return to a normal work and home life but things started to unravel under
the stress and emotional toll of the incident and its aftermath. A once
dedicated and reliable fire department employee began to have attitude issues, fights
with co-workers and his job performance suffered. Little did his fellow
firefighters know but his home life was also in shambles resulting in endless
arguments with his wife. Each day grew worse from lack of sleep, constant
headaches and abuse of alcohol. Two days before Christmas Ryan left his wife
and kids and went to live with friends. He was heavily medicated for depression
and his drinking was getting out of control. He lost his house, filed for
divorce and later got a tattoo on his back that said “Forgive Me.” He was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Dysfunction
Syndrome which eventually cost him his job on the fire department. Most of the
life he had enjoyed before the airplane crash was gone and not returning. No
one understood what he was going thru and nothing was helping cope with the
emotional burden of the crash. He was hopeless, despondent and suicidal.
tried to return to a normal work and home life but things started to unravel under
the stress and emotional toll of the incident and its aftermath. A once
dedicated and reliable fire department employee began to have attitude issues, fights
with co-workers and his job performance suffered. Little did his fellow
firefighters know but his home life was also in shambles resulting in endless
arguments with his wife. Each day grew worse from lack of sleep, constant
headaches and abuse of alcohol. Two days before Christmas Ryan left his wife
and kids and went to live with friends. He was heavily medicated for depression
and his drinking was getting out of control. He lost his house, filed for
divorce and later got a tattoo on his back that said “Forgive Me.” He was diagnosed with Reactive Airway Dysfunction
Syndrome which eventually cost him his job on the fire department. Most of the
life he had enjoyed before the airplane crash was gone and not returning. No
one understood what he was going thru and nothing was helping cope with the
emotional burden of the crash. He was hopeless, despondent and suicidal.
Ryan
credits his therapist with saving his life. He was diagnosed with post
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and battled alcohol abuse, depression,
anxiety, medication dependency and suicidal thoughts. All the while he was
having flashbacks of the crash and conscious memory gaps in his daily life while
reliving the event over and over during long sleepless nights. Ryan compares
his life to the rise and fall of building scaffolding. “Little by little I was
built up like a skyscraper and felt like I was on top of the world. The “hero
syndrome” can be quite consuming. When the scaffolding starts to come apart
from the bottom it’s not long before the whole things comes down. If there is
one good thing about hitting rock bottom is that it can’t get worse.”
credits his therapist with saving his life. He was diagnosed with post
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and battled alcohol abuse, depression,
anxiety, medication dependency and suicidal thoughts. All the while he was
having flashbacks of the crash and conscious memory gaps in his daily life while
reliving the event over and over during long sleepless nights. Ryan compares
his life to the rise and fall of building scaffolding. “Little by little I was
built up like a skyscraper and felt like I was on top of the world. The “hero
syndrome” can be quite consuming. When the scaffolding starts to come apart
from the bottom it’s not long before the whole things comes down. If there is
one good thing about hitting rock bottom is that it can’t get worse.”
&n
bsp; With
the help of intense psychological counseling Ryan has put his life back
together very slowly, first day by day then week after week. It wasn’t easy and
it took courage and bravery just like he showed during the plane crash. “Don’t
expect overnight success” Ryan said. “Mental illness is a very treatable
condition. However, it’s not like taking medicine and you’re fine in a few
days. It takes weeks, months, even years under the care of a skilled
knowledgeable therapist and physician.”
bsp; With
the help of intense psychological counseling Ryan has put his life back
together very slowly, first day by day then week after week. It wasn’t easy and
it took courage and bravery just like he showed during the plane crash. “Don’t
expect overnight success” Ryan said. “Mental illness is a very treatable
condition. However, it’s not like taking medicine and you’re fine in a few
days. It takes weeks, months, even years under the care of a skilled
knowledgeable therapist and physician.”
Few
people have the guts to talk about their experience with post traumatic stress
and the importance of mental health counseling but Ryan Cooper does. He has
chosen to share his story with other responders to possibly help someone who
has started down that horrible, seemingly uncontrollable, downward spiral. Ryan
has found himself through all this and has a sense of rebirth. He has survived
two near death experiences, the plane crash and his own demons.
people have the guts to talk about their experience with post traumatic stress
and the importance of mental health counseling but Ryan Cooper does. He has
chosen to share his story with other responders to possibly help someone who
has started down that horrible, seemingly uncontrollable, downward spiral. Ryan
has found himself through all this and has a sense of rebirth. He has survived
two near death experiences, the plane crash and his own demons.
