Debbie started her young life as an athlete and reached national level in fast pitch baseball and volleyball. Debbie went on to serve 28 years in the military and since become a civilian officer. During her service she received a commendation and coin for service over and above her expected duties by a Chief Commander. She also received 1988 athlete of the year by PM Brian Mulroney.
Debbie shares about her deployments to Egypt, Bosnia and Haiti and what it was like to prepare for and experience these deployments. We dive into the physical, emotional and spiritual preparations at that time and how they differ for the military personnel today. Spending months at a time in war-torn countries on peace keeping missions inevitably leads to seeing and doing things that could be defined as difficult. In Bosnia, there was a great deal of ethnic cleansing that took place, which laid heavily on Debbie’s heart.
Debbie shares about how she has developed mental health challenges as a result of her work in the military. She suffers from generalized anxiety and complex PTSD. With the support of her therapist and loving wife, she is getting the support that she needs to get by.
Being an athlete in her younger years prepared Debbie for the physical demands of being in the military, which included doing physical training on a daily basis. As the troupe prepared to go overseas, the physical expectations were significantly increased, where the soldiers were expected to be able to run for 13kms with full equipment.
Debbie has had several injuries from her days as an athlete and in the military that has resulted in her needing hip replacement surgery. We learn about her recovery and the challenges she has faced transitioning out of a physical career, into a sedentary lifestyle. She still turns to movement, but in a way that is very different than before. She visits physiotherapists, chiropractors and massage therapists frequently to be able to maintain her physical health. She mourns the loss of the movement, but has found other ways to give meaning to her life as is a proud member of the Order of the Eastern Star where she contributes to fundraising in her community. Debbie has been looking to contribute to the ‘Serving with Pride’ organization, which aims to make a difference for the LGTBQ2S+ community who serve in the military and police.
REACH OUT TO DEBBIE
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REACH OUT TO CHRISTINA
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christina@mattersofmovement.com
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ONLINE STUDIO
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