Before you ask, no, I’ve not been smoking any of that funky skunky, even though it is legal these days.
I am perfectly aware that the people of Taber are the ones who are getting $250,000 to put towards arena repairs. They’re the ones getting an NHL game.
Tumbler Ridge? Is getting $150,000, (that’s $100,000 for placing second, plus $50,000 for being one of the provincial finalist), plus $10,000 for new equipment, plus 10,000 lbs of food for the foodbank.
But that’s not what I am talking about either.
Those of you who were at the Hockeyville announcement probably know what I’m talking about, though.
There were hundreds of residents of town gathered together in the arena, cheering and yelling and laughing and smiling and chatting and hugging and just being together.
Y’see, one of the biggest dangers following trauma is isolation, either by well-meaning but harmful people who don’t engage with people suffering trauma socially so as not to bother them, or—more commonly—by people self-isolating.
There’s a difference between taking some time for one’s self, and self isolating. We are social beings and need to be in contact with others—friends and family.
Avoiding others after trauma is a common trauma response. And it can be harmful. Isolation will only compound the effects of the trauma. It can become an echo chamber, where your own thoughts bounce around in your head until that’s all that you hear.
According to the American Medical Association (AMA) “Social isolation and loneliness each independently have more than a 25 percent increased risk for significant health issues—not just mental health issues like anxiety, depression or suicidal ideation, but other diseases, particularly heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia. It’s a major public health issue that’s been very much underappreciated.”
Studies have shown that social isolation was associated with about a 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia, a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% risk of stroke.
It can also affect a person’s immune system resulting in an increased susceptibility to various infections. And social isolation is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, high blood pressure and premature death.
“Chronic social isolation activates the body’s stress response,” said the AMA. “When people remain in a prolonged fight-or-flight state, stress hormones, such as adrenaline, raise heart rate and blood pressure, placing strain on the heart and blood vessels.
“Over time, this chronic stress and inflammation can also affect conditions like diabetes by disrupting insulin response and glucose regulation,” she said. “Isolation is also linked to sleep problems, anxiety, depression and reduced motivation for self-care.
We need a combination of social fitness, physical fitness and creative fitness in order to thrive in society,”
According to the Canadian Medical Association, more than one in ten adults report often or always feeling lonely. For people between then age of 15 and 24, that number is closer to one in four.
Add that to a traumatic event and you have a recipe for disaster.
Which brings us back to last week, when people from around town gathered together to do stuff.
People gathered along the streets to watch the mayor drive the Zamboni around town. Kids and adults alike played road hockey alongside a pair of NHL celebs: Andrew Ference (former Oilers defenceman and team captain) and Chris Higgens (Vancouver Canucks forward) on Friday.
The next day, even more people showed up for both the Lions Easter Egg hunt (which got moved to the arena after a mixed weather forecast caused it to be moved indoors) and for the Hockeyville announcement, where I saw smiles and heard laughter and watched children play, and friends chat and a community gathering together because that’s what we are—a community. Not just people who live in the same five square kilometres, but people who genuinely care about how the rest of the people who live here are doing.
While we might have not taken first place in the Hockeyville contest, the events around Hockeyville brought us something far more important than just money.
I’m going to give the final words to my sister, Jerrilyn Kirk. While she no longer lives in Tumbler Ridge proper, this is still home to her. She raised five kids here, and still works as the Executive Director for the Tumbler Ridge Chamber of Commerce. The night of the vigil with the Prime Minister, she drove four and a half hours to be here and, because there was no place to stay in town, drove four and a half hours home. Because that’s who she is.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about everything our community has been through… and how, even in the middle of something so incredibly heavy, people still found a way to come together.
“That doesn’t just happen. That’s who we are.
“Tumbler Ridge showed up—with heart, with kindness, and with a willingness to stand beside one another when it mattered most. And in doing that, we created something really meaningful. There were moments of laughter again… moments where you could feel a bit of light coming back in.
“And to me—we did win today.
“I am so proud of Tumbler Ridge and Tabor. Truly.
“And yes, the $100,000 for rink upgrades is incredible (and will do great things for the community), but the real win is something much bigger than that… something we found in each other.”
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
