Price of Testifying: Pre-Rest, Child-Care, Week-Long Crash¶
Day 4 · 2:34:56 · Shannon Holmes · Glen Motz · Jamie R. Daniel
- 📅 To appear she cleared several days beforehand, arranged all child transport, and has already booked a full week of post-hearing childcare.
- 😩 Post-exertional malaise means she expects to be bed-bound with a pain flare and worsened complex PTSD after the trip.
- 🐕 Certified service dog Kevin (Alberta-recognized) now accompanies her full-time to mitigate the PTSD that exploded after medical gaslighting.
The physical and psychological cost simply of giving evidence.
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Transcript¶
Shannon Holmes · 2:34:56
Well, to start, before I even came here, I had to start prepping. I removed anything from my schedule for several days so that I could rest. I arranged childcare for my children to make sure that somebody was available to drive them back and forth to school. Next week when I go home, I've also arranged childcare every single day for my children because I will probably be too exhausted to get out of bed. To care for them. Um, we'll have grandparents drive them to and from school. My husband almost exclusively does all of our cooking now. Um, we have a housekeeper once a month because I can't maintain heavy housekeeping.
Glen Motz · 2:35:36
I, I want to slow you down. So, so just to be able to come here today, you had to basically clear responsibilities including child care from your schedules. Your kids cannot interrupt you. And you've been resting for days.
Shannon Holmes · 2:35:50
Yes.
Glen Motz · 2:35:50
So that you could kind of put some energy in the bank to be able to come here.
Shannon Holmes · 2:35:55
Yes.
Glen Motz · 2:35:55
And you've already cleared your schedule for a week. So that because you expect basically being in bed for a week, including heightened pain flare-up, you basically anticipate suffering.
Jamie R. Daniel · 2:36:10
Yes.
Shannon Holmes · 2:36:11
And I also anticipate a worsening of my complex post-traumatic stress disorder as well from this experience. Even though I feel like it's very important for me to be here and the stories are very powerful, I know it will affect me psychologically as well.
Glen Motz · 2:36:26
Okay. Do you want to tell us about your PTSD?
Shannon Holmes · 2:36:29
So I was a first responder, and even before the COVID-19 vaccine, I still had a diagnosis of PTSD, but I was seeing a therapist and working. I was functional. They had no concerns about me continuing to serve as an ACP. The medical gaslighting and destruction that I went through with our healthcare system was horrific. It was nothing I could have ever anticipated. I proudly served our medical system and it abandoned me. And there was exactly one moment that every ounce of faith I had in the system was destroyed. And it's also the moment that my severe PTSD became such a significant problem that I was partnered with Kevin.
Glen Motz · 2:37:16
Um, I was admitted to the hospital again, and I'm just going to stop because the camera doesn't show this. Oh, you basically have an emotional support dog named Kevin.
Shannon Holmes · 2:37:25
He's actually a fully certified service animal, so he is recognized by the Alberta government and placed with an organization for full service animal status to mitigate a disability.
Glen Motz · 2:37:37
Right. And in your case, it's PTSD.
Shannon Holmes · 2:37:39
Yes.
Glen Motz · 2:37:40
So it's Kevin being with you all the time.
Shannon Holmes · 2:37:44
Yes.
Glen Motz · 2:37:45
Helps you, you know, remain calmer and—.
Shannon Holmes · 2:37:48
Yes.
Glen Motz · 2:37:49
And less fearful and stressed.
Shannon Holmes · 2:37:51
Yes. We've been partnered for a year now and he's been wonderful.
Glen Motz · 2:37:54
And we had to put Kevin on the list to get him the ability.
Shannon Holmes · 2:37:57
Yes, he has his own ID. He had to have his own tag to get in.
Glen Motz · 2:38:01
Just because people watching don't know, this is a parliamentary building, and so you have to get through security and the metal detector and all of that fun stuff. You have to be on the list. So carry on, Karen, talking about the mental trauma. So you're describing, starting to describe that for us.