Support Josie's Healing Journey

Dear friends,

In May of this year, our beloved community member Josette suffered a considerable injury when she fell in a horseback riding accident, breaking her arm. This began a long and difficult healing journey full of physical pain, and emotional and financial setbacks, and she needs our help.

Josette is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation. Her Ojibwe culture and indigenous roots create a significant connection to horses, healing, and trauma-informed practices, as she works as a Mental Health Crisis Clinician in the Emergency Department, and has previously worked as a Certified Equine Therapist and a Behavioral Health Provider with a focus on Native American clients. Her cultural connections and experience with horses play a major role in her ability to heal those in the Indigenous community and beyond. So as you can imagine, this injury has impacted her life in many ways, and it is time for the community to support her.

In addition to the pain and trauma of the initial injury, at her doctors' direction, she spent three and half months attempting to heal the break naturally. This involved using her arm’s own weight to hang and pull the bone into alignment as it healed. Unbeknownst to Josette and her doctors, her radial nerve was tangled in the break site, and it would not heal properly. So after a long and painful waiting period, during which she also lost strength and muscle mass, she was given the news that she would have to have surgery and start the healing process over from scratch.

The good news is that the surgery was a success! Her pain is much better now and she is healing so much faster than the first time. However, she has unfortunately not been able to work since the surgery. She has used up all of her PTO and savings during that first attempt at healing all those months ago, and now there is a second round of medical bills to pile on top of the first.

At this time Josie has incurred major financial strain from the following:

Josette is truly an example of an exceptional person who, despite many obstacles placed in her path, has gone on to not only put herself through college but achieve a Master's degree in the field where she will spend her life healing and helping other people. She is also a talented artist and a beautiful person both inside and out. She very much intends to “get back on the horse” and hopes to one day build her own Equine Therapy clinic where the focus will be on working with Indigenous patients.

Josette has dedicated her life to being a healer in her career as a mental health care provider, member of the Indigenous community, and friend to many. If you have ever met Josie, you have felt her healing presence, and it is time for the community to support her.

All donations will go directly to Josie to ease her financial strain as she recovers from surgery and continues to heal. Your contributions are greatly appreciated, in any amount. Miigwech! (Thank you!)

Josie’s friends,

Ellie, Alana, and Madalynn