Learning to look after ourselves means learning to lean on others while being someone to lean on. All their life, LD has been a loving caregiver. When a doctor asked: “when are you going to start taking care of you?” it was the wake up call they needed to take a break and embark on a journey of self-love and self-discovery.

Lea-Dee Jenelle Huppe, aka LD, works in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In an area often stigmatised for its high rates of homelessness and visible drug-use, LD’s small organisation, Vancouver Street Soccer, celebrates our common humanity in a sick society. In this intimate interview, LD shares their personal story of how possible it is to overcome trauma and abuse to stand tall and celebrate who we are.

We spoke in the silent sanctuary space at Hollyhock on Cortes Island, BC, Canada during the Social Change Institute, in the summer of 2017.