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Connecting Virtually for the Atlantic Family Forum
We’re holding space for you! We know it’s important to families affected by workplace tragedy to come together and make helpful connections with others who understand. It isn’t yet safe for us to gather in person, so this year, Threads of Life is hosting the Atlantic Family Forum online. The Atlantic Virtual Family Forum is designed to offer families support, hope and find ways to cope with a workplace tragedy.
Volunteer Profile: Veronica Suszynski
Veronica Suszynski is a portfolio leader at SAFE Work Manitoba in the Support Services Portfolio, which provides service to all Manitoba employers in the areas of occupational hygiene, musculoskeletal injuries and preventing young worker injuries. Veronica is currently chair of the Winnipeg committee and she is one of Steps for Life’s longest-serving volunteers — 10 years!
The day my life changed… for the better? Lack of training contributed to life-altering injury
Our parents always told my sister and me that we could do whatever we wanted; you just have to work at it. Our taste for hard work began early when we would go with my parents to the farm.
Why you should join Steps for Life – Our 8 top reasons
March is the perfect time to get involved with Steps for Life-Walking for Families of Workplace Tragedy. The reasons to register are as numerous and diverse as the people who participate (that is, thousands!) but here are a few of our top reasons:
Ripples of loss: Grief on the small screen and through the generations
A couple of years ago, I started to watch Heartland with my grandma. Heartland is a Canadian show filmed in Alberta. I like horses and had taken riding lessons for a few years, so it fit. One of the main characters, Ty, became my favourite. I seemed to be able to connect with his personality. He always managed to find himself in dangerous situations. He went into a coma and survived. He became a vet. Sometimes I think I want to become a vet or at least work with animals.
FamiliesConnect: Walking with you on your journey
Honestly, one of the hardest things to do when your world has been forever changed is finding ways to cope and make sense of it all – often a journey that families face on their own. It takes time. It takes
emotional & physical energy. You may be feeling alone or isolated at times.
Sharing healing through sharing a meal
Threads of Life is fortunate to have so many loyal partners who are passionate about health and safety, and share our mission.
Why Lori walks in Steps for Life (and why you should too!)
Lori Chynn’s life was forever changed in 2009 when her husband, John Pelley, a registered nurse, was killed in a helicopter crash. It was Spring 2010 when a volunteer contacted Lori about Threads of Life. The volunteer’s son was involved in a workplace tragedy and she...
What comes after inspiration?
It’s a good feeling, inspiration. We all like to feel inspired. Otherwise, why would there be so many lists of inspirational sayings, or motivational memes floating around out there? I had anthropologist Margaret Mead’s famous line posted above my desk for...
Volunteer Profile: Donna Van Bruggen
Donna Van Bruggen’s life was shattered on October 17, 2012 when her son David was killed at work. Donna began a journey to heal her own personal grief and ultimately became a champion to help others living with the aftermath of a workplace tragedy. Donna is a...
Putting 2020 behind us – Finding light to move forward
As we move into a new year, it’s important to make time to reflect, to breathe, and to focus on what is most important to you. The thing about a “beginning” of any type is that it usually also signifies the “ending” of something else. While I’m not especially sad to wave goodbye to 2020, I’m also easing my way into 2021. It’s a new year, a new day, and a new chapter, as some may say.
A Decade of Healing
One morning I woke up early, bundled up in my warm layers and headed off to work as an emergency responder, not knowing that it was the last day I would be the “old me”. I had worked all day in an Alberta winter, feeling the cold wind on my face and cursing Mother Nature for the pain of the windchill as it bit my cheeks. I was frustrated that the work day had dragged on and I just wanted to get home. Within hours everyone on that site would feel lucky that we would be able to make it home eventually. I could feel in my gut that something wasn’t right. I knew something bad was going to happen. I was unsure of what; I just knew. I would say nothing. I would regret my silence for years to come.
