Support self-healing
Summerside native participating in international online forum
Kendra Mellish knows first hand there are no stronger bonds than the ones you form in the military.
Every day, the retired Royal Canadian Air Force captain works with veterans to ensure they get access to the help and resources they need.
“I served for 27 years before I retired. Now I am employed by the Department of National Defense and Veterans Affairs Canada under the Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program (OSISS) as the P.E.I. sole peer support co-ordinator. I look after all Island veterans with operation stress injuries,” she said.
Every week, on Tuesdays, Mellish sets up shop at the Summerside Legion and plays organizer to a veteran peer support group, allowing them to talk about their week as well as their experience in the service or their struggle on the home front, whether that’s health care, insurance or difficulty navigating the system.
“I do this job because these people, they need me just as much as I need them,” said Mellish.
“There are so many hurting on P.E.I. that need help.”
Mellish served in Afghanistan, as did her husband, the late Warrant Officer Frank Mellish who was killed in action in September 2006.
Sharing her experience is a way of self-healing, she said.
“Groups like this are healing for me. And in ways we heal each other. We support one another. This environment is better than staying in your basement for nine years, being isolated.”
Seeing a veteran participate in the sessions and witness their accomplishments are her favourite things. “Instead of being angry and bitter, seeing them… be at peace and getting the services they need, that’s the gratitude I get. It’s not the pats on the back, it’s seeing them turn that corner.”
On March 6, Mellish is participating in an online forum celebrating International Women’s Day.
“My presentation is called, ‘the ultimate sacrifice’. It’s about how to live a great life despite the fact that life is difficult,” said Mellish.
“Personal growth might seem sudden, but it’s a result of small, often unnoticeable, incremental steps.”
Mellish wants to assure people that things can get better.
“You have total responsibility for what you do and how you respond to the fact that life is hard. And accepting that comes with accepting that you have the responsibility to make it better… not only that, you have the ability and power to make it better.” For now, Mellish wants veterans to be recognized for what they have done.
“For our future, they need to be recognized for their service and compensated for the things they’ve endured and the sacrifices they’ve made.
“But they need to know that they aren’t alone. There are other people who are going through the same journeys.” The online forum is scheduled for Monday, at 7:30 p.m.
Spaces are limited. To register go to the link in the events calendar available at peimfrc.ca or cafconnection.ca/PEI/.