Wounded Warriors Weekend in Sask. works to heal soldiers

Warrant officer Renay Groves comes from a family of soldiers and knows firsthand how difficult it can be to lead a normal life after you return home from serving your country.

This weekend, soldiers gathered in Lloydminster, which straddles the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, for the Wounded Warriors Weekend.

The retreat aims to allow veterans, soldiers and first responders suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries to help each other heal from painful military experiences.

The weekend was about sharing stories, creating friendships and simply relaxing.

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"So many people tell you where you're supposed to be, how you're supposed to get there … and while you're doing what someone else tells you what to do it gets you off the path that you're supposed to be on," Groves said about her own healing process after returning from  Afghanistan in 2009.

Groves' brother also has military experience and she said coping with PTSD hasn't been easy for him.

"I was able to dedicate three uninterrupted hours with my brother who was a diver engineer ," she said about a recent phone conversation. "And, I will tell you we ended that phone call in a more positive place and it ended with you know what (Renay), I could benefit from some help."

"Progress is a gift you cannot measure," she added, saying she hopes her brother will attend a retreat.

Wounded warriors was founded in 2012 and evolved to include police officers, trauma nurses, correctional officers, firefighters, RCMP, EMTs, first responders and their families.