MACON, Ga. — C Sabathne spent more than a decade in the U.S. Army, including tours in Iraq.
Now, he's a therapist at Macon's Coliseum Medical Centers. On Thursday, HCA Healthcare gave him their highest honor, the First Humanitarian Award.
"Really surprised and overwhelmed. Again, this is a year where a lot of people have given their health, their career, and even their lives in the care of patients," he said.
C suffers from PTSD and says after nine fellow soldiers died from addiction and other things, he was inspired to become a therapist.
"Nine of those guys are dead -- almost a quarter of them. It kind of nudged me along and validated that decision to become a therapist, be a helper," he recalled.
Another requirement to be a Frist winner is exceptional volunteer service, another box Sabathne checks. He volunteers at Comfort Farms in Milledgeville, which helps veterans suffering from PTSD. He says it was one of the first places he connected to when moving to Central Georgia.
"I started looking around for ways to connect. My wife was still traveling around for work and just needing community connection, needing to be around folks who were doing something," he said.
While the award is an honor, C takes the most pride in the work he did to get it, giving recognition to those organizations.
"If it gets other people out and involved, that's fantastic. You don't have to know what you're doing; you don't have to make a nonprofit. You just need an hour, and you just need to want to make a difference to something," he said.
Coliseum honored Sabathne Tuesday and also presented a $5,000 check to Comfort Farms on his behalf.