He calls himself a stubborn old soldier. Ottawa councillor Jody Mitic wheeled himself in to city hall today for that budget meeting, after weeks of a noticeable absence and a day after  admitting he's not doing well with battling depression and addiction .

If there's one thing Jody Mitic has prided himself on, it's his sheer strength. 

A sniper with nerves of steel.   An athlete, a father and a councillor.

And now a man who admits he's not as strong as he thought; his plea for help has turned into a tsunami of support.

Councillor Jody Mitic made a few comments about the budget at today's council meeting, but refused to comment about his personal life to media, after a candid interview Tuesday evening with Evan Solomon, host of Ottawa Now on Newstalk 580 CFRA.

“Are you struggling again with the addiction issue?” Solomon asks Mitic in a telephone interview.

“I am frankly not doing well mentally,” Mitic responds, “I'm not doing well physically.”

Mitic is a Canadian veteran of the Afghan war who lost both his feet after stepping on a landmine in 2007.  He opened up about his ongoing battle with depression and alcohol addiction after being forced to remove his prosthetic legs because of infection.

“I ignored the fact that I had lost my legs for 10 years,” he tells Solomon, “and I tricked myself into thinking I didn't need wheelchairs or modified cars.”

The interview has sparked an outpouring of support for the Innes ward councilor, including the owner of the Tartan Pub where he held his post-election party.

“Everybody here wishes him the best with any struggles he has,” says owner Chris Bishop.

Christine Caron knows those struggles all too well.  She lost both her legs, a hand and some fingers to sepsis.  A recent infection knocked her off her prosthetic feet, too.

“I was slammed back to where I was 4 years ago,” Caron says, “and you know you've made headway and trying to get on with your life but when you get slammed back, it's harder than the first time around.

Caron has read Mitic’s book and followed his struggles and his many accomplishments and says her first thought after hearing Mitic’s interview, was to call him and tell him he’s not alone.

“He's helped so many people that he's got to be willing to accept help from someone else now.  It’s his turn.”

And there was more support from his colleagues at council, including Mayor Jim Watson, who said,

“I admire his courage.  It's takes a lot to be a public figure and then to go through the challenges he's going through.”

“We’re all human beings,” added councilor Mathieu Fleury, “Jody has gone through a lot as Canadian residents know and we wish him all the best.”

Mitic says he plans to seek more help including some physical rehab.  And he knows, too, he is fortunate to have the support he does.  He says the first step is always admitting there's something wrong.