They’re my life. I couldn’t imagine a day without them, and every day coming back home and seeing them growing up and turning into the men that they are, it’s a blessing. And it’s a gift as a mother to see your children grow up and become the best that they can be.

Being a single mom my boys had to grow up really quickly, and being a Canadian Forces member they had to grow up really quickly in the way of my work sometimes requires me to stay at work for longer periods of time. Or it’s a little more complicated than your average 8 to 4 job that you would have on a civilian street. So the boys learned to be more responsible faster. To do things that you wouldn’t normally ask your 12-year-old to do. But they’re also enjoying themselves in the way of that they see the opportunities through this life, they’re learning new skills, they’re meeting new friends and then at the same time they’re discovering our country.

I have a son who has a disability, and it’s a learning disability but he is challenged and has ADHD, and been diagnosed for years now. He is currently on ILP, but one of the things that the school suggested is getting him private classes. Well, I couldn’t do it at the time anymore. I couldn’t financially afford it.

When you reach the point where your struggles are so great that you think that you cannot hold on anymore. That you feel that you’re being overwhelmed with what your reality is like. That you always hope that somewhere inside there is that miracle. And Benevolent Fund to me became this miracle.

This one place, where everybody else was shutting the door, not because they didn’t want to help me it’s just that there was no way for them to help. Benevolent Fund became this way out, and allowed me to live my life and enabled my children to get where they are today. And we wouldn’t be able to do that if it wasn’t available. This was the miracle for me.

My name’s Lieutenant (Navy) Dominika Kaczmarek. I’m an Information Management Officer at DGICCM.