COCHRANE— Rallying the troops to ensure no one is left behind, Wayfinders Wellness Retreat is continuing to expand its services to help those healing from post-traumatic stress.
Wayfinders co-founder and Calgary Police Services Det. Paul Wagman said it has been exciting experiencing first-hand how the retreat is taking root in the community and finding ways to connect with those looking to heal from the wounds inflicted by post-traumatic stress.
“If we’ve been injured by significant PTSD, even though the stories are vastly different, the methodology and the process and the way to healing is somewhat similar," Wagman said. “There’s hope, there’s a lot of other things when it comes to supporting your mental wellness."
New recruit retired 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Cpl. Terran Kavanagh became involved with Wayfinders at a fundraising archery shoot.
That single activity “changed my life” Kavanagh said, because it connected him with Wayfinders board members.
“I’ve seen firsthand how impactful it can be,” Kavanagh said.
One of his jobs while serving overseas was working with unmanned drones and directing operators to fly to areas, looking at life in areas and looking for threats. Kavanagh also participated in prisoner of war recovery.
Kavanagh had an unknown connection to the group— He was serving in Afghanistan at the same time as Wayfinders founding member Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry 1st Battalion retired captain Bryce Talsma.
They were in separate platoons, Kavanagh said, but the duo has been able to connect through events they both experienced while serving.
“One of our friends got killed, Lieutenant [Andrew] Nuttall,” Kavanagh said. “He got killed on the 23 of December 2009, it’s not too long ago.”
Kavanagh was on the shift when Nuttall was killed by an IED and Talsma was watching. Kavanagh said they both loss a friend in the incident and appreciated that they were able to connect dots for each other.
“I had so many questions about what happened on the ground that he could answer for me,” Kavanagh said. “We were both grieving for the exact same event, but we were not in the exact same place. It was really neat validation.”
When he left the military, Kavanagh said, it took him three years to uncover, he was suffering from both physical and mental wounds inflicted during his service.
Wagman said the ability to help put puzzle pieces together is an experience many at Wayfinders have— It helps people complete a picture in such a fulfilling way allowing them to begin to heal from the wounds of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Wayfinders has pivoted and moved to adapt its services during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, and one of the more pressing needs to emerge has been the need to develop a workout area at the ranch given the shutdown of gyms and fitness facilities across the province.
They are now looking to create a small memorial fitness centre in honour of Lieutenant Nuttall.
“Andrew was a huge cross-fit guy in our unit— If anything sweet or rad was happening with fitness he was our guy,” Kavanagh said. “We want to put a memorial gym in the studio of the garage on his behalf. It just makes sense for who he was.”
Kavanagh said that for many physical fitness goes hand-in-hand with mental wellness. With gyms shut down under the current health measures the loss is taking a mental toll on people— Especially for those who have depression or post-traumatic stress disorders.
Currently are trying to raise funding to complete the gym and floors at the retreat. Wagman said they are hoping for good equipment and monetary donations to help complete the projects.
Kavanagh was a member of Team Canada racing skeleton and hopes when the gym is up and running, they will be able to bring Olympians in to help with workouts that could be streamed to help raise awareness for Wayfinders.
Wayfinders is a collaborative effort centred on holistic healing, Wagman added, explaining they are also working with the Veterans Association Food Bank, Veterans Affairs and Beyond the Blue to ensure people have access to the correct resources that can help them on their healing journey.
“We’ve connected resources and it feels great to know that what we’re doing and the partnerships are working,” Wagman said.
Wagman said despite the hustle and bustle that goes with transforming the space, each day they make a point of sitting down for a coffee and chat to check in on how everyone is doing.
Restoration and renovations of the retreat is underway, Wagman said, adding they are especially grateful for a $14,000 donation from ATCO that came in the form of trenching in gas lines to the facility.
They are currently re-doing the floors at the retreat. On Monday (Dec. 28) Wayfinders had a small group of volunteers, with help from Riverbend Flooring. Together they were able to strip the floors to the original base of Douglas fir dating back to 1920.
Wagman said they are working room by room so they can utilize the facility as much as possible.
He added he hopes when restrictions are lifted can host an appreciation night for volunteers and have a chance to connect and enjoy the facility.
“You’ve got crutches— Not only is our equation to raise mental health awareness and drop the stigma and to create the space where what we do is successful and other people can follow it,” Wagman said. “We hope to learn how to engage with people and get them out of the space where they’re at.”
