The road to better health began for Squamish鈥檚 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聽 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.
鈥淎fter 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,鈥� Gauthier said in an online blog.聽
He started to heal by making small gestures toward the homeless who lived near the facility in the city where he was being treated.
鈥淚 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 鈥� sharing a meal with them, giving them a smoke,鈥� he recalled to The Chief last week as he sat by the Mamquam River.
聽鈥淭he more I opened up, the more I realized half of these people down [there]鈥� were former construction workers.鈥�
Back in Squamish months later, Gauthier and his partner Natalie Bruckner wanted to continue what Gauthier had started, so they launched 鈥淓nough Negative, Change 4-Ever,鈥� a loose group of about 15 people 鈥� many injured or in recovery of some kind 鈥� who aim to make a difference in Squamish wherever they are needed.
鈥淲e want to give back and do something positive. There鈥檚 enough negative out there,鈥� said Bruckner, while petting the couple鈥檚 dog, Fraggle who comes along on their outdoor initiatives.
Members of the group come together for what they call, 鈥減ositive vibe Sundays鈥� 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 鈥� and he believes for others 鈥� 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.
鈥淭he lasting effects of being outdoors is just phenomenal, I don鈥檛 care what pill you give me when I am out here, this is where it is at,鈥� 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
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鈥檚 no pressure, stressed Bruckner.
A big part of Gauthier鈥檚 personal goal is to help other injured workers as they deal with the medical system and WorkSafe小蓝视频 as well as to raise awareness about PTSD.
鈥淚 am going to be there to help people through this,鈥� 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.聽
鈥淚t has filled me with passion and so much drive,鈥� Gauthier said.
He and Bruckner want people to know they don鈥檛 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.
鈥淚t is going to be a fun community thing,鈥� she said.
Anyone interested in the group or its events can contact the pair through their blog at or email thedroneking [email protected].
