Fighting For Veterans & First Responders

In 1994 I was involved in a stabbing incident in Ottawa, Ontario. I was stabbed thirteen times including two on my leg that severely damaged my muscle and had to have major surgery to repair it.  I had a doctor tell me to my face "We can save your leg but you'll always have problems walking for the rest of your life"

I suffered PTSD from this incident and used it as an excuse to be lazy, as a result I put on a lot of weight and at my heaviest I was 379 lbs.   On November of 2018 I decided I it was time to get serious and lose some weight and get healthy for my family. I needed something to keep me motivated as I had tried and failed many times before.

I set my goal at 100 lbs and promised to donate $1 per pound that I lost to a group called VETS Canada. They help Canadian Veterans that are homeless get off the streets and also assist Veterans that are struggling financially.  On November 10th, 2019 I hit my goal of 100 lbs and had other people match my donation and we were able to donate $750.00 to them.

I decided I wanted to keep going and chose another amazing military charity Canpraxis for my second phase.

To date I have lost 129lbs but I'm just getting started.

After posting on a Calgary Roast & Toast page about my first time at the gym  here in Calgary and two guys making fun of the back of my neck looking like a pack of sausages a local boxing gym (Southpaw Boxing) reached out to me and offered me a membership and training for a year to help me hit my final goal.

I have been training there for five weeks and love it and I will be having my first fight on April 25th, 2020 as part of the Chump To Champ progam being hosted by South Paw Boxing gym. 

I will be doing this as a fundraiser and splitting the total donations between Vets Canada and Canpraxis. Both founders are aware of this and have approved my mission so 100% will be split between them.

Please consider donating any amount to support me on this journey.

THANK YOU!

More about my story 

This is how I lost 100lbs in a year 





Can Praxis is a national mental health provider and registered Canadian charity. We offer intensive treatment programs for Canadian Veterans and First Responders (serving and retired) living with an Operational Stress Injury (OSI), such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We include the injured person’s spouse/partner/family member in our programs because OSIs have a profound impact on the family as a whole.

Our team of facilitators and clinicians teach lasting skills and strategies through experiential learning and dialogue, using a combination of psycho-education, counselling, peer-support, and Equine-Assisted Therapy. Founded in 2013 by a Canadian Military Veteran and a Trauma-focused clinician, Can Praxis is the leading Equine-Assisted Therapy provider for the Veteran and First Responder community. We take care of all the logistics and cover the costs for participants (flights, hotels, transportation, childcare) to remove cumbersome barriers that can prevent people from getting the help they need. We restore hope and save lives through our programs, made possible by the generous support of our donors.



VETS Canada
This movement has grown into a federally registered non-profit charity that has a network of 135,000 and hundreds of dedicated volunteers across the country, most of who are ex-military/RCMP. They work within the community to identify homeless veterans and quickly re-establish the bond of trust that exists between soldiers.

Working within the community, VETS Canada members attempt to move veterans from the streets or shelters into affordable housing (if available). They also connect the veterans with needed health care, help them access benefits and services from other organizations, and support them in finding suitable employment. The volunteers stick with these veterans every step of the way and do everything possible to help them re-establish themselves. To do this, VETS Canada has a national Board of Directors composed of volunteers and has outreach across the country. In 2014, VETS Canada was awarded a contract by Veterans Affairs Canada whereby they are now approved Veterans Affairs Service Providers in the field of homeless and in-crisis veteran outreach.

VETS Canada has evolved from just assisting homeless veterans to also providing support to those who are not necessarily homeless but who are “in crisis”. Whether that crisis is not being able to afford groceries or a hydro bill, or it’s an emotional/mental health crisis, VETS Canada is available to provide support. In 2015, VETS Canada launched it’s Guitars for Vets program which offers peer support through guitar lessons.