Lessons in Grit

Written by Stefan Laplante

A career with the Canadian Armed Forces is a great place to meet like-minded people from across the country. Many of them become friends for life; the kind you don’t see or speak with for years and yet you easily pick things up again when the occasion presents itself. A handful of those become great friends who may or may not live nearby, and one or two become like family. For me, that extended family consists of Johann, Natalie, and their kids – one of whom is most relevant to March 21st: Joe. Even though Johann lives in Saskatoon and I in Regina, and even though we never knew each other prior to our military careers, we serendipitously joined the Forces at the same time. We did all our training together, held similar rank and positions within the same occupation, and completed two tours in the Middle East at the same time. Our lives seemed to be in perfect step without it being planned out.

During my gradual transition out of the Forces and into the civilian world, I found great reward and meaning in volunteering as a coach for Special Olympics athletes aged 2 to 12. My cohorts consisted of 15 – 20 athletes per season, all with intellectual disabilities, and all of whom showed more grit and determination than many soldiers I worked with over my nearly two decades with the Forces. Midway through my time with Special Olympics, Johann and Natalie were expecting their son and a routine prenatal exam led to a Down syndrome diagnosis. That awesome son is Joe.

None of us are ever ready for the full-on requirements of parenthood. We may lose friends in the process of redefining our identities as parents and caregivers. This can be particularly true when any family member has specialized or chronic needs beyond what most of us experience. My time with Special Olympics made me more empathetic towards Johann, Natalie, and Joe’s needs, and so we stayed very close, while other friends drifted away. With these fundamental changes in their lives, Johann and Natalie sought out and created the support system they needed to thrive as a family. Over the years, the Ability in Me (AIM) program in Saskatoon has become their support system’s keystone. The proven effectiveness of its services and value to Joe and his family inspires me to continue supporting the AIM program and similar non-profits. 

In 2012, the United Nations established March 21st as World Down Syndrome Day. On this day, people all around the world come together and show their support for the cause by wearing brightly colored or mismatched socks. In Saskatchewan, we demonstrated our support for this important cause by holding our 3rd Sock Challenge! The challenge consisted of donating $4 to AIM for every picture of colourful or mismatched socks received during the competition time. Stay tuned for the amount raised.

The AIM program is a reputable Saskatchewan non-profit organization located in Saskatoon offering specialized therapy and innovative programs that support individuals between 0 and 22 years of age with Down Syndrome and their families. Services include speech and language therapy, literacy programming, occupational therapy and music therapy. Staff work collaboratively with parents and caregivers, as well as health and education professionals. AIM puts emphasis on the successful inclusion in the home, school, and community settings. Since COVID, many of the services are available virtually, and AIM plans to expand to open a physical location in Regina in the near future.

For more information on the AIM program, click here: https://aimprogram.ca/