A Moose Jaw paramedic has been paying tribute to first responders throughout the province, and his tour brought him to Estevan on Friday evening.
Nicholas Hennink took photos of members of the Estevan Emergency Medical Services, the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and the Estevan Police Service through his Project Warriors initiative.
They stood with a banner that says We are Warriors. The photos Hennink took will be posted on social media platforms. Once all of the photos are collected, they will be used again in another form to help others.
Hennink is an advanced care paramedic with 16 years of experience who has survived battles with mental health issues and addictions, but he’s also a singer-songwriter who is using his musical talents to recognize his fellow first responders.
And, of course, there is the photo project.
“Project Warriors is a lot of little things put into one,” said Hennink. “The photos are another way to honour and recognize emergency services. Put faces to those people in your community, so that they can see that these are the people who give their lives for their community.
“They’re the people who struggle, and we need to be there for those people. It honours them. It gives them a chance to be in the spotlight. We need to create that mental health awareness.”
He aims to close the gap between the different services, which he calls “a big family.”
So far he has taken photos of 22 emergency services teams, and about 30 more are booked. He will continue this project into next year, and he hopes to capture as many services groups as possible in Saskatchewan.
“I would like to capture all of them if possible, and get everybody involved in this,” said Hennink.
He wants to photograph others groups as well, such as when he went to Prince Albert and met with some of the Corrections personnel about what they have been through.
“It’s astonishing. I had no idea,” said Hennink. “They’re not in the light (as much) but they still deal with the same stuff.”
Hennink has also met with nurses, doctors and respiratory technicians through Project Warriors, and he wants to work with social workers.
“They all see and do the same stuff that we do,” he said. “We just bring the patient to them, and they’re still seeing and treating those patients in those traumatic situations.”
The response has been fantastic, he said.
Hennink loves his job as a paramedic, but a few years ago, the nature of Hennink’s work started to take a toll on him. He hit a point that he calls “the darkness,” and didn’t want to tell anybody about it.
“As I ended up dealing with things on my own, unfortunately that meant finding other coping mechanisms. I leaned towards alcohol on my days off,” he said.
It became the only way he could feel relief, and it led to addiction.
He reached a point where he thought he would need to end his life, or he would have to seek help. It was one of the hardest things he ever had to do, but with the support of family, friends and his employer, he wound up going to rehab and seeking assistance.
“The reason why I’m doing all of this is because I’m speaking out for those who are struggling and letting them know you can recover. My life is better now than it was before all of the struggles.”
He started writing the songs, and eventually he teamed up with Jared Robinson from Nebulus Entertainment. It has grown into something much larger than what he expected.
The first two songs garnered attention, and eventually the Canadian Mental Health Association jumped on board. It has grown into something much larger than Hennink expected.
“I decided to use this outlet to help as many people as I possibly can. The album is dedicated to first responders and struggles that we go through.”
A music video was released Dec. 1, which is another component for Project Warriors.
“It portrays emergency services working together, extricating a patient from a crash scene,” he said. “They’re showing the process of how that comes about.”
Another album is scheduled to be released next year.
The people he has talked to have been very appreciative, with countless emails and text messages to thank him for his efforts.
“I’m doing this because it’s something I’m passionate about and struggled with. It helps me, too, to go out and see these people and talk to people. It helps me in my recovery.”
