My Story!
I will never forget the day that my husband of 28 years of marriage finally broke down acknowledging that he had a problem. This was after 31 years as a Career Fire Fighter and one year into retirement. The sweat was pouring off him and the anguish and pain I saw in his eyes brought me to tears. We had been in denial for so long, but he knew I had reached the point-of-no-return and was ready to leave the marriage. What hurt me the most was that he did not feel safe confiding in me about what he was going through. I felt sad by his embarrassment to show weakness and was angry at the profession for allowing him to feel so much shame. What could I have done to make our relationship better without jeopardizing my health? How can I communicate to a Fire Department about the importance of supporting the families of First Responders?
This is What I Want for You!
I want your marriage to thrive. I want you to reduce the statistics of failed marriages, mental health and substance abuse issues. There has to be a better way for two people who love each other to communicate effectively, create a safe space for emotional freedom and support. Do you know what PTSI is? Are you familiar with the symptoms that can arise from this injury and how to recognize them in the behaviour of your First Responder? I also want you to know that you are strong, resilient and deserve to be safe while managing your own self-care, while creating healthy boundaries around what you can and cannot continuously be exposed to. Being self-aware when things are not going well instead of being in denial is crucial in taking action to either prevent, manage or make difficult decisions when it gets too hard to deal with.