There is life after a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Injury and while first responders may have suffered severely, seen those dark moments, they have recovered but are still working in their chosen field.

That from Karyn Steinke, organizer of the fourth annual PTSD conference which was being held this week in Saskatoon. The conference is called Breaking the Stigma and deals with everything from prevention to grief counselling as well as the importance of boundaries for your own mental health. It is designed so those attending, first responders and those who experience front line tragedy, sometimes on a daily basis, can feel empowered and uplifted.

Any funds raised from the conference is donated to Osi-can, the provincial peer support team that also provides group meetings for first responders.

Steinke stresses that first responders need to know and believe that they don’t become the letters PTSD because of a diagnosis. That there is a job after being diagnosed with a post traumatic stress injury.