On this episode of Find Your Sparkle with Jen, I have a very important conversation with my guest, Kevin Purchase as he speaks out about his journey with mental health and some of his journey.

Kevin has dreamed of being a firefighter his entire life and has been a volunteer firefighter since 2011. He has been off on leave since July 2021 and has been off from his full time position since October 2021.

During our conversation, Kevin shares some of his journey of first becoming aware that something wasn’t right and then accepting that he was not himself. Initially there was resistance but when he opened up and realized the changes he was experiencing was not only hurting himself but was impacting those around him.

Kevin talks about his fiancé giving him a link to the program Project Trauma Support which initially he ignored. He talks about how something drew him back to explore the program and once he did, he was on a plane to Ottawa, Ontario to head to Perth for an intense 6 day program that proved life-changing for him.

This was the catalyst to Kevin deciding to speak out about his struggles with mental health and how they have impacted him, his life and others around him. He is on a personal healing journey and wants to inspire, influence and impact others to get help, remove the stigma and start talking more about their mental health openly without fear of judgement.

This is a HUGE step for him and I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity to share some of his story and hopefully reach others that can relate to some or all of Kevin’s story and get help and reach out without fear of consequences. I believe as a society, we can always improve communication and remove stigma and we all have the power to make a difference.

We know the ripple effect is huge and far more reaching than we may ever know! You can help make a difference in sharing Kevin’s story. You never know who needs to hear what and trust me when I say, it can make a huge difference in someone(s) life!

You can help by sharing Kevin's story! Remember, it can be a simple phrase, word, experience or the simplest thing that would be easy to dismiss that has the power to shift someone's perspective and it can truly change someone’s life!

Remember you are not alone! Please reach out for help!

Here are a few resources from Nova Scotia Canada:

https://mha.nshealth.ca/en

https://ns.211.ca/

Canadian Mental Health Association (cmhahalifaxdartmouth.ca)

HOME - Nova Scotia Division (cmha.ca)