Aggie Pringle celebrated her 54th birthday on Wednesday by embarking on a challenging 26-kilometre walk in the pouring rain.
“One word – damp. Very, very damp. Yeah, it’s been raining the whole time,” said Aggie.
A dedicated paramedic from Sayward, Aggie chose part of the scenic route from Ucluelet to Tofino for her walk, dedicating a kilometre for every $100 she raised. In total, she raised $2,600 for mental health programs offered by Wounded Warrior Run BC.
“Well, I’m raising money for Wounded Warrior Canada and the Wounded Warrior Run BC specifically. I just wanted to help veterans and other uniformed professionals like myself, a paramedic, get the programming they need. All the programming is funded by Wounded Warrior,” she said.
Aggie has been volunteering as paramedic support for the run since 2018, often trailing runners in an ambulance between Port Hardy and Victoria.
Now, she’s contributing financially as well.
“Two years ago, I could never have imagined doing anything like this. But learning from those super-fit runners, I realized that physical health is just as important as mental health. So I’ve really started to work on the physical part now that my mental health is more squared away,” Aggie shared.
With 33 years as a paramedic, serving communities from Zeballos to Vancouver, Aggie has faced her share of PTSD. She was among the responders at the multi-fatal train derailment in Woss in 2017.
“Thankfully, I’ve not had many ‘Woss’s’, but there are a lot of tragedies I’ve seen throughout my career. The programs I’ve used have really helped me in my healing,” she added.
Aggie’s partner, Vern Coward, supported her during the walk.
“There are people out there who need help, and what she’s doing today is really going to help those folks,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Aggie hopes to make this an annual fundraiser, aiming to walk the full 42 kilometres next year if she raises $4,200.
