“My life was forever changed the morning of February 19, 2008,” says Tammy Lundgren-Costa. That was the day she was sexually assaulted at work. Then it got worse, as Tammy went on to experience severe PTSD and extreme agoraphobia. “Before I joined Threads of Life I had thoughts of suicide ideation daily.” Now Tammy has traded her suicidal thoughts for hopes and dreams.
When Tammy was 12, she already knew she wanted to help people. “I was a very caring child who always listened to those who were hurting, asking them why they were so sad or crying. So I guess you could say I was in training for the future path I’d chosen.”
By her early 40s, Tammy had raised a family, put herself through school, and achieved her career goal, working as a counsellor at a residential treatment facility for addiction and substance abuse. Then she was raped in a stairwell at the facility.
After having made helping others her life’s work, Tammy now had to help herself through the rape’s aftermath, including severe PTSD and extreme agoraphobia.
Her first exposure to Threads of Life was at a Family Forum, where she met others who had experienced a workplace tragedy. Tammy subsequently joined the Speakers Bureau, and more recently the Steps for Life event.
“My goal with Threads of Life is to help others suffering with workplace tragedy, to help them see that although life will never be the same, there is another way of life waiting for them, so they can one day give themselves permission to laugh again.”
Read more about Threads of Life, including our Speakers Bureau.
You can help families like Tammy’s, coping with the devastating impact of a life-altering workplace injury or other workplace tragedy. Here’s how:
Donate: your gift will directly support Canadian families affected by workplace fatalities, life-altering injuries and occupational disease
Designate: make Threads of Life your company’s Charity of Choice
Volunteer: help out with our annual Steps for Life walk – see www.stepsforlife.ca
Spread the word: let those who need help know where to find it.
If you or a loved one have experienced an life-altering workplace injury or other workplace tragedy, read about how Threads of Life can help you.
- Volunteer Profile: Peter Deines - December 12, 2024
- A daughter’s story; love and great loss - October 17, 2024
- Life after serious injury - September 12, 2024