In less than a year, an Alberta woman has gone from gracing the stage at her first pageant to competing at the Mrs. Universe pageant in South Korea. She鈥檚 making history by becoming the first Canadian veteran to compete internationally.
Following her father鈥檚 footsteps, Giselle Drew Walsh joined the Canadian military, serving as an infantry soldier for 16 years. Once she retired, Walsh dedicated her time to advocacy and spreading awareness about PTSD that soldiers face when they return from duty.
鈥淲e have lost more soldiers to suicide since the time of Canada鈥檚 participation in the war in Afghanistan than the soldiers that unfortunately lost their lives while there,鈥 said Walsh.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen firsthand what post-traumatic stress disorder can do to somebody who鈥檚 struggling and doesn鈥檛 have adequate resources.鈥
For about a decade, Walsh has spoken on multiple stages and on podcasts spreading awareness and education about PTSD soldiers鈥 experience, the issues the families of soldiers face and domestic violence, but the pageantry platform is still quite new.
鈥淚 thought this might be a really unique way to get in front of a new crowd of people that may be unaware of the issues that are going on,鈥 she said.
Her message seems to have resonated with the pageant world and set her apart. Walsh won the Mrs. Canada pageant, which qualified her for Mrs. Universe. The organization is committed to raising awareness about domestic violence.
As part of her advocacy work, Walsh also serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Canadian Institute of Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). The organization has been around for 14 years and 鈥渉as built a network of 46 Canadian universities who have agreed to work together to address the health research requirements of the Canadian military.鈥
Paul Hook, the managing director of CIMVHR, says a lot of tools and resources have been put in place for returning soldiers, but it鈥檚 not enough.
鈥淭he statistics now are somewhere around 15 to 17 per cent of people that go to war or deployed on operations in the Canadian Armed Forces end up with mental health issues,鈥 said Hook.
CIMVHR has its own journal, and a recent report shows that 鈥渟ignificant delays in treatment initiation are problematic for the military population鈥 and that 鈥渙nly 20.6 per cent of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans released after 2015 have received treatment for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).鈥
Hook says this important subject seems to have been put on the 鈥渂ackburner when Canada left Afghanistan鈥.
鈥淲e still have thousands of troops deployed in places like Latvia and in the Middle East, but the public has moved on to new topics,鈥 said Hook.
鈥淚 think by having someone like Giselle doing pageantry, hitting a new audience, being the first veteran that won a national competition, and having a train made out of handmade poppies, I think that鈥檚 just going to spark a new conversation.鈥
As part of the competition, Walsh will be wearing a unique National costume that honours the country鈥檚 military history and veterans.
鈥淚鈥檝e got poppies that have been handmade by veterans across Canada, and it鈥檚 sewn onto the gown,鈥 said Walsh.
The Mrs. Universe Pageant goes from October 2 - 10.
As for what鈥檚 next after the competition, Walsh says she鈥檚 only getting started.
鈥淚 just want to do more, and I just want to raise my voice louder because people who are in positions to make changes, I need to talk and get their attention so that we can make some positive changes.鈥
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