One day…
He learned the true meaning of hard work at a very young age. His parents made sure they always had food on the table and taught him everything they knew to get it there. They hunted, trapped and had a vegetable garden bigger than the cabin they lived in but more importantly they had love. They were part of a small community just outside of Hylo, Alberta where everyone contributed to each others wellbeing. If there was something someone needed and someone else had, it would be given. They all cared for and trusted each other and when strangers came around, they too were treated like family. It was a good life.
At the age of 12, his dad was accidentally shot and killed while out checking his traps. That day stood still frozen in time and is forever etched in his memory. His family life took an instant turn where they isolated themselves from each other. They lost all hope and his mom no longer had the will to live. He suddenly felt alone and lost, not only in the world but within himself. If he allowed himself to remember, he could still hear the wailing cries of his mom that found their way into every crack of the cabin and echoed into every room. As a boy, he felt absolutely useless and didn’t know how to stop her tears or mend her heart because in all honesty, his was broken too.
The seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours, and even with that, time stood still. He would go outside and run as fast as he could with no direction in mind, only the need to get away. When he stopped running, he would look up at the sky fall to his knees and scream. “Why did this happen, why did you have to go away”? There was never an answer only the wind whispering back.
Strangers would come and go especially this one particular man who would frequently visit the cabin helping out anyway he could. He was always so kind and when he stopped by, he brought sweets for everyone. Strangers coming by wasn’t unusual, it happened all the time, especially now that his dad was gone. The community members would drop by to see how they were doing and if anything was needed which they were always so thankful for. One day he and his sister were playing hide and seek when the stranger was visiting he asked them if he could play with them and told them he had a special candy he would give to them at the end of the game and for the first time in a long time, they smiled. They had no idea at the time, hide and seek would end up being a hunt instead of a game. He knew he should tell his mom what the stranger did to him and his sister but at the time, he couldn’t put it into words and didn’t even understand how. His mom was suffering through hell of her own and he didn’t want to burden her with his shame.
His family had to move to Edmonton. They moved in with family because they ran out of money and lost everything. When they moved to Edmonton, they were relying on the generosity of family and friends but that too fell apart and they were all taken away from their mom. They were told she wasn’t fit to be their mom anymore and he was sent to live with his auntie. Little did anyone know, his mom was dying of a broken heart.
Living with his auntie was another blow to the slaughter of his once perfect life. They were all broken kids who had lost so much and had everything taken away from them. He had so much anger inside of him and no way of understanding how to deal with all the pain and suffering. He turned to drugs and alcohol because feeling nothing was better than feeling at all. His new home, was the inner city and his new family was with other people who knew what suffering was.
It was a rude awakening living on the streets, it was beyond rough out there and it was about surviving the best way possible without dying. Life was hard, nothing you could imagine, the streets had a way of eating you alive if you made the wrong decisions, and this is how he ended up seeing his sister take her last breath. He was losing everyone he loved and he carried so much anger inside and no understanding of how to deal with the pain except escaping though drugs and alcohol.
He was now drinking alcohol and partying all the time. The lifestyle of numbing the pain landed him in a detention facility. He was co-accused of armed robbery and watched his brother stab someone multiple times. He was only 14. There, he suffered tremendous abuse and was once again hunted. When released he was awarded to the court and told he was not allowed to see or speak to his mom but he did, she was everything he loved and no one was taking her away from him.
He moved in with his uncle and was exposed to heavy drug use and alcohol, which became his constant way of life. School was difficult for him and he skipped most of the time because he couldn’t handle being called a ‘filthy Indian’ by the teachers and students. He was told he wasn’t allowed to use his left hand to write or speak his language and was told they were going to take the “Indian” out of him.
Through out the years and into his adult life, it was a constant road of disarray and self –destruction and continued to be this way for him. As he got older, he spent time in and out of jail, relationships, jobs, homes and in the end, he his rock bottom and became completely homeless.
One day while he was at the Mustard Seed Centre getting a hot cup of coffee, he looked around and thought to himself, he would like to help out. The life lessons his parents taught him stayed with him and he wanted to give back to the organization that was there for him when he needed help the most. He asked the staff if he could volunteer and that is the day his life started to take a turn. It felt good to give back, it felt so good to have a purpose and help those who in the end, became his family. He cleaned the tables and did whatever was needed and asked of him. He volunteered at the Bissell Centre as well and realized helping and giving back, gave him a direction that has carried him though to this day. He ended up being hired on at the Bissell Centre and has volunteered and served with kindness and compassion for over 20 years.
He has since moved on from there and now dedicates his time and what money he has to helping out at an all women’s rooming house where he ensures the women are safe.
He received the Diamond Jubilee Award from the Queen for recognition for volunteering in his country, a plaque from the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in Recognition of Humans Rights, the Human Rights Award nominated by Canadian Mental Heath Association, Alberta’s Promise Award for his commitment to youth and children, Outstanding Service of an Individual from the Bissell Centre, 2006 Volunteer of the year from the Bissell Centre.
Giving back to his community saved his life and a greater purpose. He accepted for himself there will always be road blocks in life and has learned to slow down and heal. He still deals with trauma and faces and wrestles with his demons on a daily basis. When that happens, he reachs out to his outreach medical team for help.
One of the biggest reasons he wanted to give back is because he owes it to himself to be kind for all those who have helped him and who believed in him along the way. To show his son and daughter that he has not seen in years what a good man he has become. His compassion for others is his strength and he now strives to make a difference in the world.
“Don’t ever give up, is what he tells everyone who struggles, we all have a purpose in life”. We are all teachers in our own special way. He is very proud of where he has come from to where he is now. He has come full circle and he hopes his mom and dad are proud of him too…