Victoria’s crusading paramedic needs our help.
I began a fundraising campaign for Lisa Jennings last November. At that time we were able to get her through the winter months thanks to the generosity of many people who donated.
During that period, Lisa also managed to get on EI for six weeks, however, the benefits have long since run out.
I find it unbelievable that after another five months have gone by, Lisa is still without the proper financial support to help her through her PTSD, which gripped her after 24 years on the job.
She had to apply for welfare this week and shared with me what a humiliating experience that was.
The ironic part of her going to welfare is that she will be receiving a whopping $610 per month to cover her living expenses, medical bills, etc. How unrealistic is that.
As many of you will have noticed in recent articles on Lisa, she has found solace and strength in her predicament by reaching out to others in her field that are suffering from work-related PTSD and is focussing at a “grassroots” level to bring about change to the legislation to ensure that no other first responder ever has to go through the indignities and tribulations that she has had and continues to endure.
Please join me in sharing her story on gofundme so that we can generate enough financial support for her (no amount is too small) to “survive” until the appeal she had to file with Worksafe goes through in July.
After all, it is only the slow-moving wheel of bureaucracy that is holding her Worksafe benefits back at this point cause she has certainly met all the criteria.
Her full story is shared on the gofundme website (where you go to donate) as follows: gofundme.com/gq0k7w.
Teya Danel
Esquimalt