Blogs from Our Participants
Follow Along on Their Journey
Manuela Joannou – The Expedition Journey: Training Camp
By: Manuela Joannou (M.D. Medical Director, Project Trauma Support) Sea Kayaking in Newfoundland. For Eight Days! I was extremely excited to be given the opportunity to join one of the True Patriot Love Best of Canada expeditions this summer. Exhilarating, yet I must admit, just a little scary. I have the privilege of attending as …
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By: Gillian Riley (Executive Vice President, Canadian Commercial Banking of Scotiabank) It’s been just over a week since I returned from completing the True Patriot Love (TPL) Scotiabank Mackenzie Expedition in Central British Columbia. Words can’t describe what an exciting and hard-earned experience it was! I was privileged to be part of a team comprised …
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By: Rob Dolson It’s not the Destination, it’s the Journey! For me, this was what the Expedition was all about! We all met as a team at the Fairmount in Vancouver for dinner and received our briefings for the trek to come and there was when we heard that the fires in British Columbia could …
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By: Captain Mary Ann Barber Preparing to depart! It’s hard to believe that it’s the day before we leave on this amazing opportunity and adventure!! I don’t think excited even covers adequately what I am feeling! Life at home returned to its normal pace of “hair on fire” and the days and weeks have flown …
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By: Manuela Joannou (M.D. Medical Director, Project Trauma Support) It is now two weeks since we returned from our Cabot expedition sponsored by the True Patriot Love Foundation from June 9 to 17. I have some great memories that I know will last forever. I have a new family that will forever occupy a chapter …
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By: Rob Dolson Well, it’s just over a week before I head out to Vancouver to meet up with my fellow Mackenzie teammates and its starting to get real! As I sit here writing the blog I look back and laugh at how many times I have packed, unpacked and repacked my kit getting ready …
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By: Jamie Wilson (Chief Development Officer at True Patriot Love) It’s been exactly two weeks since our ‘last day’ together on Fogo Island. Although back to my routine, work, toddler, etc… I still reflect, many times a day, on our journey. It truly has been difficult, to sum up, my experiences to many of my …
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By: Tina Panos It’s been exactly one week since I’ve returned from Newfoundland and The Cabot Expedition. I struggle to find the right words to express how much this journey has meant to me, and how it has somehow changed me. I admit that I had some sort of preconceived ideas how things would go, and …
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By: Manuela Joannou (M.D. Medical Director, Project Trauma Support) So we are now at the countdown! Flying out of Ottawa early Friday morning to Gander Newfoundland to start the Great Adventure. Easily the greatest adventure of my life. Haven’t started to pack yet. Only today started thinking about the medical kit I am bringing. It …
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By: Jamie Wilson (Chief Development Officer at True Patriot Love) Wow! The day is almost here. I must admit, I am feeling pretty nervous today. Looking at all my ‘gear’ and wondering if I packed what I needed, did I forget anything, did I pack too much? I have been up since 4am ‘dry run’ …
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It’s early Tuesday morning, the 6th of June. 3 more sleeps until I head to the airport and make my way to Gander Newfoundland to begin our expedition. I am flooded with emotions as it comes with a great deal of excitement, but also a ton of anxiety. It’s not often I do any type …
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By: Captain Mary Ann Barber So it’s a few days post the TPL BOC Expedition Training Camp and it’s all finally started to sink in, the significance of these events, the opportunity that sits in front of me and the excitement of the upcoming trip! I am not sure what I was expecting prior to …
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By: Rob Dolson Well first off I want to say one word to describe the training camp…WOW! Yes I said it! I learned so much during the 4 days at Camp Pine Crest, from learning how to not to flip a canoe, to what gear to pack during the hiking portion of the expedition, to …
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By: John Baker (President & CEO at D2L) In many ways, life is a journey — one that can take us vastly different places. My journey has taken me from a university student with an idea to a leader of a bunch of incredibly talented people working together to help transform the way the world …
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By: Jamie Wilson (Chief Development Officer at True Patriot Love) Fourth day following the training camp and I find my wandering in and out of moments in time that will undoubtedly be ones I will never forget. It is impossible to pick one word to describe my experience, but rather a string of words that …
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By: Tina Panos In October of 2016 I was invited to participate in a 5 day in-house experiential cohort for First Responders who suffer from PTSD. The cohort, named Project Trauma Support, and ran by Dr. Manuela Joannou completely changed my life. I believe it was in February when Dr. Joannou invited me back to join …
