Wounded Warriers offering new support to families of first responders

For the fifth time in nine months, an Ontario police officer was laid to rest on Thursday, a tragedy that leaves behind unspeakable grief.

And now the wives of first responders are speaking out about the trauma of losing their loved ones and the support system that has essentially saved their lives.

“I felt like I was re-living the day he died almost every day,” said Sarah Routhier, whose husband was an Ontario Provinical Police officer.

Sylvain, who was a 14-year veteran in Ottawa with OPP began to struggle with mental health and died by suicide.

Routhier said the sudden death of her beloved husband and adoring father to their three children left a gaping hole filled with grief and sadness.

“I would go through the motions of the day and then at nighttime, when I was alone, I would cry and have a very hard time sleeping,” Routhier told CityNews.

Elizabeth Hargrave also knows those feelings all too well. Her husband James lost his life while battling a wildfire in Alberta.

“When James died, it was like my world just shattered. It was like every dream or goal we had together was impossible now, especially being a mom and parent. When my kids needed me the most, I had the least to give,” said Hargrave.

Both women struggled for years, describing feelings of isolation and hopelessness, until two years ago when a pilot support program launched by Wounded Warriors threw them a lifeline.

“After taking the program, I was no longer felt like I was focusing on all the details of my husband’s passing. I wasn’t reliving the moment anymore – it felt more like an even that happened in the past and I could think about him and our lives and our memories and honour those memories as opposed to reliving the trauma,” said Routhier

“In some ways, [it was] lifesaving in a way that has helped me find a way from surviving to living,” added Hargrave.

The original program was only offered to spouses of first responders and has now evolved into surviving families to include all family members who are struggling with a loss.

“For me personally leaving Greg Pierzchala’s funeral in January here with the OPP, just seeing the eulogy that his brother and sister provided, It’s something that will stick with me for the rest of my life,” said Scott Maxwell with Wounded Warriors. “It was clear we needed to make this change now.”

After a tragic nine months for the policing community across the country, the largest-ever first responder mental health conference was held in the GTA.

Maxwell said it’s a critical time to pull together and make mental health a priority.

“Help is available… support is here,” said Maxwell. “It’s fully funded it just takes them applying to get access to the help that they need and deserve.”