Stacey Trottier-Mousseau was happy in her dream job with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan in 2006 when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
Looking back on that time, Trottier-Mousseau, who will represent Canada at the Invictus Games in Sydney Australia in October, was in peak condition but the symptoms were undeniable.
"I was pretty much in peak physical condition, and I started to notice there were some deficits. I was stumbling and falling. I was overly fatigued. I was really being hampered by the heat of the environment even more so than others," she said. "It was heartbreaking."
Losing her military family in Afghanistan was difficult and Trottier-Mousseau added that she recollects how she lost her posting in Afghanistan first, and then her career.
"You have a lot of things that are taken away from you one at a time," Trottier-Mousseau explained. "You lose the future you had envisioned for yourself."
However, life moves on, and eventually, Trottier-Mousseau found herself again in sports. This time, for the Invictus Games.
"The opportunity to wear the flag again, to represent my country, and to be part of a team of soldiers who are overcoming similar challenges, has been a game changer for me," she said.
Trottier-Mousseau started training last November even though the team would not be announced until January. She will compete in three sports: indoor rowing, swimming, and wheelchair rugby.
"I work out six days a week usually, sometimes twice a day and right now it's kind of tapering down, which is nice, so I can actually peak at the games," she said.
The games highlight the importance of sport and physical activity for wounded, injured, and ill active duty and veteran service personnel. Prince Harry founded them in 2014.
This year's event, October 20 to October 27, will include 11 adaptive sports and attract 500 athletes from 18 countries.