Threads of Life

As we head into the holiday season, please remember continue to stay vigilant for yourself, your loved ones, you co-workers and your families. The LOC continues to work with and support Threads of Life and their peer-based support programs to assist families across Canada who are living in the aftermath of life-altering workplace injuries, illnesses and death.  

Leo Pitruzzella was a family man through and through. A big strong man with a booming voice, he didn’t hesitate to push his daughter’s stroller to the park, or get on the floor to play cars with his son. But the family lost its cornerstone one day in 2009 when Leo didn’t come home from work.

Leo was a labourer for a paving company. His wife Erin later learned he had been struck and dragged by a dump truck loaded with asphalt. Erin and her children struggled through the nightmarish months of questions and confusion leading up to a trial, and later an inquest.

“I thought that I had cried all the tears that I could possibly cry,” Erin says, “but a card in the mail, a phone call, a song on the radio, a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation or a celebration always brings back my confusion, my sadness, my anger, my helplessness and my hopelessness. Life seemed without meaning for my family.”

The family was coping, but when Erin found Threads of Life through her compensation board coordinator, she finally felt accepted and understood. She found hope. Erin was connected to another widow whose husband had been killed on the job and who was a trained volunteer listener. Threads of Life also offers opportunities to learn healthy coping skills through online workshops and in-person weekend events.

As a national Canadian charity, Threads of Life counts on the leadership of companies and organizations committed to health and safety and to Canadian families. They assist by:

• spreading the word to people who need support,
• increasing participation in Threads of Life programs and events, 
• facilitating volunteerism, and
• providing financial support through partnership/sponsorship.

Leo’s death changed Erin’s life forever. But through Threads of Life, she has found healing and hope. She shares her personal story through the Threads of Life speaker’s bureau. Erin shares that “It’s so important for everyone to take responsibility for safety in the workplace.” 

It has been a hard journey, she says, but today she is able to bring some joy back into her life.You can help families like Erin’s. Learn more about how to get involved, or contact Threads of Life Director of Partnerships Scott McKay at 888-567-9490 or smckay@threadsoflife.ca