Pictured: Sean Brown and his dog, Nick. Photo courtesy of Southeastern Guide Dogs.

On Thursday, April 25, Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc. will be bringing its acclaimed multi-sensory experience, Beyond the Dark, to the Lakewood Ranch Cinemas for one night only. Beyond the Dark invites attendees to step into the shoes of a person living with vision loss and a veteran surviving memories of combat.

Lydia Baxter, the organization’s media manager, shares that Beyond the Dark is a multi-sensory experience combining different elements. “There's one part where we ask guests to put on a special blindfold and listen to audio of both the internal monologue of someone who doesn't have a guide dog but has vision loss and what emotions and thoughts she's having just trying to get through a normal day and then the guests experience the same thing with someone having a PTSD flashback,” she says. “After each of those audio experiences the attendees have the chance to take the blindfold off and meet these two people, one of whom is Katie McCoy, guide dog recipient and an associate director of philanthropy at Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc. and the other is Sean Brown, a United States Army Veteran who retired medically in 2013.

“After I retired I found myself living in a world that really didn't care what veterans were dealing with between the pills, the pain, PTSD and having to live with the things that I saw and was a part of while I was serving. I found myself  leaning on my peers around me and my Harley Davidson motorcycle to get me through the day,” Brown shares. “One day, I got to a stoplight and everything changed with that motorcycle.  I had to sell my bike and found myself spiraling out of control until my wife said it was time to get some help. We found Southeastern Guide Dogs and our life has been amazing ever since.”

Brown has had two dogs from Southeastern Guide Dogs, both free of charge. Pella, now retired, and Nick, his current dog. “Pella did a lot of the groundwork to get me to where I am today,” he shares. “She was trained to check the house to let me know everything is good and she literally would break me out of night terrors and establish a routine that allowed me to start getting back out in the community.”  Today, Brown travels the country sharing his story and the mission of the organization.

Brown’s hope is that Beyond the Dark will give attendees an idea of what the majority of our nation's veterans are living with on a daily basis. “Our Veterans walk around with that mask that’s hiding the pain of the war that they're fighting internally,” he says. “It’s an opportunity for people to have their eyes open to the reality of what not just veterans live with but people that are visually impaired live with on a daily basis.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about Sean, Katie and their inspiring stories at Beyond the Dark. Because of the sensory and emotional nature of the program, Beyond the Dark is not recommended for ages 14 and under. For veterans and others with PTSD, be aware that Beyond the Dark includes an audio presentation reminiscent of combat scenes.

Beyond the Dark begins promptly at 5:30 p.m., Lakewood Ranch Cinemas, 10715 Rodeo Dr #8, Lakewood Ranch. Tickets to this 90-minute, multi-sensory experience are $20. All proceeds directly support the Southeastern Guide Dogs mission.

Pictured: Sean Brown and his dog, Nick. Photo courtesy of Southeastern Guide Dogs.