Nearly Losing her Life over a Stolen Chocolate Bar: Victoria Police Department Detective Lane Douglas-Hunt’s Journey on Navigating PTSD

Today’s guest is Lane Douglas Hunt. Lane has been a member with the Victoria Police Department since 2008. She has spent most of her career on the front lines in patrol where she was on the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team for 6 years. Currently, she serves as the Explosives Technician, a Detective in the Special Victims Unit, and a member of the Critical Incident Stress Management Team. Outside of work, Lane and her amazing husband, Jeff, are parents to 2 dogs, 50 chickens, a 700-gallon reef tank, and 5 honey bee hives! When they aren't lifting weights or farming they are riding their Harleys on beautiful Vancouver Island together.   In this episode, Lane has an amazing story to share that displays incredible resiliency. The incident happened back in 2011 when she was just a junior member at 24 years old with less than 2 ½ years on the job. Her day started off like any other. She spent the morning filing paperwork and was called to a routine call at a 7-Eleven for someone who reportedly stole a chocolate bar. This routine call took a turn for the worst when she was targeted for a spontaneous attack.   In this powerful story that Lane shares with listeners, she details out all of the events that took place, what she gained from these experiences, and her advice to others. She also speaks about the post-traumatic stress that came with it, but mostly her post-traumatic growth and how she managed to reduce her stress.   Key Takeaways: [:49] Chief Neil Dubord thanks listeners for their recent feedback and ratings on iTunes. [1:37] Chief Neil Dubord thanks the team behind the Bend Don’t Break podcast. [1:57] If you have your own story of resilience you’d like to share on the podcast, you can get in touch with the team at DeltaPolice.ca/Podcast or send them an email at [email protected].  [2:18] About today’s episode and guest, Lane Douglas Hunt. [3:09] Chief Neil Dubord welcomes Lane to the podcast! [3:26] What did Lane have for breakfast this morning? [3:36] Lane’s motivation for staying in shape! [4:32] What types of movies are Lane’s favourite? [5:17] Lane gives some background to the story she’s going to tell. [7:35] Did Lane always want to be a police officer? [8:55] Lane begins her story that started with a standard, one-man-job call in January 2011, and ended with her sustaining (what she thought at the time to be life-threatening) injuries. [24:55] Lane continues her story from when she got taken to the hospital after her injuries (the support she received from fellow officers, the treatment she received, and what this situation meant for her going forward). [30:38] Lane speaks about what she did — as well as what her department did — to help reintegrate her back into work. [32:30] Lane tells us about what she went on to do after recovering from her injury. [34:26] Lane elaborates on what was happening for her personally and emotionally when she got back to work and explains the PTSD she was experiencing. [40:48] Lane speaks about her lowest low: getting removed from the ERT team. [44:56] How Lane turned things around for herself (with some help from Brian Willis). [48:12] What else played a role in Lane recovering and beginning to feel a lot better? [52:37] Chief Neil Dubord highlights some key takeaways from Lane’s story. [52:10] Lane speaks about the road that got her back to where she needed to be. [54:55] How long was Lane off from work the second time? Would she have given herself more time to get back to work in hindsight? [57:20] Lane shares how mindfulness played a big part in her recovery. [58:44] Chief Neil Dubord summarizes the timeline of Lane’s story. [59:16] Lane speaks about what happened when she lost her position on the ERT team and was back on patrol in her old position. [1:01:55] Chief Neil Dubord highlights some more key takeaways from Lane’s story. [1:03:13] Aaron joins the podcast and gives his thoughts on Lane’s story. [1:05:41] Chief Neil Dubord rewards Lane with a commitment coin for sharing her incredible story on the podcast.   Mentioned in this Episode: Bosch (Amazon Prime TV series) Brian Willis Bob Delaney Surviving the Shadows: A Journey of Hope into Post-Traumatic Stress, by Bob Delaney and Dave Scheiber Bend Don’t Break Episode: “When a Routine Call Turns Life-Threatening: Constable Craig Look’s Story”Ten Percent Happier App   Looking for More Episodes? You can find more episodes of Bend Don’t Break on iTunes, Google Play, and most other major podcasting platforms.   Connect with the Delta Police Department: Follow the Delta Police on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Visit their website at DeltaPolice.ca.