About 7 weeks ago, Jenna experienced the heaviest trauma of her life.

She responded as a civilian to a vehicle fatality involving a pedestrian that was struck on the highway. Without going into detail, there were elements of responding that night that have left her with mental, emotional, and physical impacts.

For those of us who know Jenna, we know her to be a caring, fun, energetic, bubbly person. She is currently off work on medical leave and is not currently receiving any income assistance. This fundraiser will allow the financial stress of life to be lifted, and allow her to focus on herself and her healing so that she can feel more like herself again.

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In her own words:

I've had to take time off of work at the City of Nanaimo's Emergency Support Services and Resilience Coordinator. I've had to place myself off call as a responder with Search and Rescue and the CISM team. I struggle to get to my personal training sessions - something I started with such a big goal in mind that's felt so hard to prioritize lately.

I struggle to drive - I get hit with paralyzing fear at the thought of walking anywhere near vehicles as well as being out in the dark, whether walking or in a vehicle. My heart stops for a moment when I hear sirens and I forget to breathe when I see emergency lights. My emotions fluctuate from either overload to complete shut down, usually without my control. I am scared. I am not myself. It has been feeling like I stepped out of my body that night, entered "responder mode" and never fully stepped back into the person I know I can be.

I am not okay.

But every day I get better, even if some days it's two steps forward and one step back. I just started to regain some of my appetite. I've driven myself to my personal training sessions, not every time but I'm doing my best and acknowledge the wins and small progress. I've gotten out of bed. Every. Single. Day.

I WILL be okay.

I have supports, I've started both therapy and counseling. I've completed EMDR sessions to help “desensitize" my body and brain to the incident. I still get scared, and sometimes I need a moment, but somehow, I still push through. And push through I have, in so many different ways.

Thanks for taking the time to read, much love y'all be safe, be kind, and do good recklessly.