![Wounded Warriors Canada guest speaker Jody Mitic [left] with Bruce Power President and CEO Mike Rencheck (photo by Jordan MacKinnon)](https://media.mynewstoday.ca/i/lqLndjeW/355)
Bruce Power is handing over a big cheque after its gala in support of Wounded Warriors Canada.
The event in Kincardine raised $125,000 for Wounded Warriors, which provides assistance and programming for veterans, first responders and their families after physical or mental trauma.
The guest speaker was Jody Mitic, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran who lost both of his legs below the knee in Afghanistan in 2007 when he stepped on a land mine.
Mitic detailed his recovery, which includes running both a 5 km and half-marathon race, finishing in second place in the Amazing Race Canada, as well as being elected as a city councillor in Ottawa.
He says he wants people to know that no matter what, there's always a reason to keep going.
"Try not to let the knocks in life get you down, I'm not saying it's easy and I'm not saying it's going to be fast," says Mitic. "But just remember, everyone can heal and everyone can find a way to live their new normal."
Mitic says that while there's generally a shortage of mental health resources in Canada, soldiers often let ego get in the way of seeking help.
"The tough guy mentality of the military prevents folks from reaching out in time, often, and the family sees the results sometimes of the individual's decisions, and system also respecting sometimes the individual, when the individual says no, they don't need help," says Mitic. "So I don't know what the balance is there."
Mitic is currently promoting his new book "Everyday Heroes", which chronicles the stories of 21 members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
