The road to better health began for Squamish’s Laurence Gauthier the day he reached out to members of the homeless community.
In 2016, Gauthier was involved in a near-death logging accident that left him with a severe neck and back injury, as well as mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety.
Following the accident, Gauthier was in a very dark place, he says, after enduring misdiagnoses and turmoil trying to find his way through the labyrinth of government and medical agencies to seek compensation for his injuries.
“After being put through the wringer, I felt lost. I wasn't getting the help I needed; I could no longer provide like I used to, or take part in activities that I once enjoyed. I became extremely reclusive,” Gauthier said in an online blog.
He started to heal by making small gestures toward the homeless who lived near the facility in the city where he was being treated.
“I knew the old me used to get real gratification from doing good, so I just started small, and so I started hanging out with homeless people and talking with them — sharing a meal with them, giving them a smoke,” he recalled to The Chief last week as he sat by the Mamquam River.
“The more I opened up, the more I realized half of these people down [there]… were former construction workers.”
Back in Squamish months later, Gauthier and his partner Natalie Bruckner wanted to continue what Gauthier had started, so they launched “Enough Negative, Change 4-Ever,” a loose group of about 15 people — many injured or in recovery of some kind — who aim to make a difference in Squamish wherever they are needed.
“We want to give back and do something positive. There’s enough negative out there,” said Bruckner, while petting the couple’s dog, Fraggle who comes along on their outdoor initiatives.
Members of the group come together for what they call, “positive vibe Sundays” to spend time picking up trash or doing whatever else they see that needs to be done around Squamish.
Gauthier and a few of his friends saw shopping carts in the Mamquam River and worked together to bring them up, for example. Another time they went around picking up discarded dog poop bags.
An important component of healing and staying healthy for Gauthier — and he believes for others — is to get outside in nature.
Pain is still a daily reality for him, but being outside helps him cope mentally, physically and emotionally, he said.
“The lasting effects of being outdoors is just phenomenal, I don’t care what pill you give me when I am out here, this is where it is at,” said Gauthier, while he adjusted his drone before launching it above the river. Filming and creating videos set to music is another outlet for him, he says.
His videos can be found on YouTube at thedronekingoo7
The weekly Sunday activity is casual, so if some people can only come by for 15 minutes or not at all, that is OK. There’s no pressure, stressed Bruckner.
A big part of Gauthier’s personal goal is to help other injured workers as they deal with the medical system and WorkSafeBC as well as to raise awareness about PTSD.
“I am going to be there to help people through this,” he said.
Enough Negative Change 4-Ever is organizing an event to try and set a world record in the summer for the most sports filmed by a drone in 24 hours on Friday, Aug. 4 beginning at 4 a.m. to raise awareness about PTSD.
“It has filled me with passion and so much drive,” Gauthier said.
He and Bruckner want people to know they don’t have to suffer alone and that PTSD can happen to anyone, not only first responders and military personnel.
Bruckner said a lot of locals and sponsors have already shown an interest in the event.
“It is going to be a fun community thing,” she said.
Anyone interested in the group or its events can contact the pair through their blog at enoughnegativechange4ever.wordpress.com or email thedroneking [email protected].
