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Sheldon Kennedy shares story of pain and
courage
By Zoe Brown, Janeve Everett, Jamie Thompson,
Jessica Cromwell and Tyler Harris
Banded Peak School
Bragg Creek, Alberta |
Sheldon Kennedy talks with SNN reporter Tyler
Harris |
Before Sheldon Kennedy came to visit Banded Peak School, some
people felt unsure about what he was going to say. Others were
wondering about the car accident that he had while driving in
Edmonton. Was he a proper role model for kids?
After hearing him speak and visiting with him, we realized
that he was just a normal person with some very serious problems
to overcome just like many other people. We began to understand
that just because he is an NHL hockey player, doesn't mean that
he is a perfect person. |
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He has chosen, however, to go public with his personal struggle
so that others may know that there is hope and that they are
not alone. We asked him some questions about his struggle and
his dreams.
Q: How does it feel to be helping abused children around
the world?
A: It feels great to give kids the opportunity to make themselves
feel better.
Q: What kind of help are you going to provide for the
children who come to the Anaphe camp?
A: I want to help them find love and restore trust back into
their lives through animals and nature. |
Banded Peak teacher,
Bill Belsey, meets Kennedy
during cross country skate |
Q: What made you realize that you had to tell somebody
about being abused?
A: I needed to tell somebody because of the confusion, loneliness,
and the depression that I felt inside. I had to begin to help
myself feel better. |
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Q: How did you get your inspiration to begin the Anaphe camp?
A: In life, you feel like you're put in a situation for a
reason and I thought I could really make a difference in the
issue of child abuse in our society
Q: What kind of change in feeling took place after you
revealed your secret?
A: After, it became harder because it's opening the floodgates
of all the stuff that you try to bury when the abuse was happening.
But after working hard on recovery, I became a lot clearer in
life. |
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Q: Did it feel good to play in the NHL?
A: I didn't really enjoy playing in the NHL because I felt
so terrible about myself. Before I skated across Canada, I had
never tried to do anything. I was never driven. When I went across
Canada, it was the first time I was driven to achieve a goal. |
Sheldon Kennedy and
Banded Peak students Zoe Brown, Janeve Everett, Jamie Thompson,
Jessica Cromwell and Tyler Harris |
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