Former Army medic from Lincolnshire shares delight on attending high profile Invictus service

Martha Prinsloo, who has been receiving treatment for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) with the mental health charity St Andrew’s Healthcare, was invited to celebrate a decade of The Invictus Foundation at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The 35-year-old, who took part in last year’s Invictus Games, attended the London event with her service dog Daisy, along with hundreds of other veterans. There, attendees took part in an hour-long service which featured readings from actor Damian Lewis CBE and Prince Harry.

The news that Prince Harry was back in the country, after he moved to America, has been in all the national newspapers, but for Martha she was just grateful to be in the same room as people she has met along her recovery journey.

Martha said: “It was an emotional, but also uplifting service and I’m very proud that I was able to attend. Years ago, before I started receiving treatment at St Andrew’s, there’s no way I would have been able to even consider leaving my house, let alone going into central London and attending an event with hundreds of other people.

“I really loved my time with Invictus and it was lovely seeing all my old teammates. It was also nice to see Prince Harry again, who I was lucky enough to meet when I competed in Germany last year.”

Martha is continuing with her mental recovery journey after her army experience left her with significant trauma and CPTSD symptoms which eventually led to her wanting to end her life.

The explosion occurred in 2013 when Martha was travelling in a vehicle while on tour. She was “blown up into the air” after driving over an improvised explosive device (IED).

Although after the blast she initially seemed unharmed, the impact eventually caught up with her during a nursing shift in 2017. It was while she was treating a patient that she went temporarily completely blind – with the blindness staying permanently in one eye. Since then though, she has come a very long way in terms of her recovery.

Martha said: “When I look back at how far I’ve come, I still can’t believe it. If you had told me five years ago that I would be competing in major sporting competitions and travelling to London to attend big, high profile events, I would never have believed you.”

St Andrew’s Healthcare’s CEO Dr Vivienne McVey said: “What a momentous and memorable day for Martha to be able to take part in such a wonderful experience alongside her Invictus teammates and veteran counterparts.

“The fact she was able to attend such a busy event in central London, is a real marker of how far she has come in her recovery. I am so proud and pleased that she was able to go and celebrate the Invictus Foundation, another charity which has done some incredible work with the country’s veterans. Martha is an absolute inspiration to us all.”

Op COURAGE is part of the St Andrew's Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and is an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, veterans and their families.

For more information about the St Andrew's veteran service, click here.