10-33 - Laurie White

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Résumé :
10-33 - the portable radio code every police officer dreads. Officer down. On November 27, 1998, Laurie White, in her third year as a constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was that Officer down. Shot in the line of duty, Laurie had to have her right leg amputated below the knee. 10-33 - An Officer Down Steps Back Up is an inspiring memoir revealing her struggles to adjust to her new normal while working to return to active duty with the RCMP. In this memoir, author Laurie White shares her physical, emotional, and psychological struggles, while making inspiring observations based on life experiences as a person with a disability, a first responder with post-traumatic stress disorder, and as a single parent. White's experiences inform her belief that emotions resulting from pain, loss, grief, and trauma are highly relatable, and transcend individual circumstances. This memoir describes how facing our struggles with humility and humour can help us to overcome adversity and build resilience. Readers will learn that sharing vulnerabilities and challenges can create unique opportunities for personal growth, increased awareness, and higher levels of empathy. White shares her journey in an authentic way so that others facing adversity realize they are not alone in their ongoing struggles to achieve and maintain physical and mental health.

Biographie:
Laurie White served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police from 1996 to 2020, when she retired as a sergeant. She survived a gunshot while attempting to execute a search warrant at the residence of an alleged sex offender in Kitimat, British Columbia. Her injuries were so severe that her right leg had to be amputated below the knee. Laurie successfully returned to her RCMP post after only ten months of rehabilitation, likely becoming the first police officer in Canadian history to have returned to full, unrestricted policing duties with an artificial leg. As a woman with an amputation, as a survivor with a permanent disability, and as someone who lives with PTSD, White is a sought-after inspirational speaker within the policing world and beyond. She has received several awards, including the prestigious Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal and the Medal of Valour from the International Association of Women Police. White is a graduate of Brock University and the University of Ottawa, as well as the RCMP Training Academy (Depot). She lives in British Columbia with her children, Rachel and Brett, and their dog, Molly.