Overwhelmed.
That's how Athabascan Jessica Dicks described feeling when she received a Medal of Bravery from the Governor General June 5.
The award comes after Dicks leapt in the path of a tree about to fall on a tent where four young children were playing in July 2016, shielding the tent from the impact but leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. Dicks travelled to Ottawa to receive her award in a ceremony at Rideau Hall, and said she was the only one of 43 awards recipients to receive a standing ovation.
"It was pretty overwhelming," Dicks said in an interview. "I had family that came with me, so they got to see that. It was pretty cool. My aunty was a blubbering mess."
The governor general's website said Decorations for Bravery "recognize people who risk their lives and choose to defy their own instinct of survival to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in immediate danger." The Medal of Bravery is one of three ranks of the award, recognizing acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
Dicks said she acted on instinct and did what she had to do. Part of her did not think it was a big deal, but another part of her is glad to be recognized, she added.
"Half of me is pretty grateful that the sacrifice made was recognized because it definitely was a sacrifice. Everything is more difficult to achieve now. Accessibility is a huge issue," Dicks said. "It was nice to be recognized that I did something above and beyond."
The incident occurred when Dicks and her family were out camping at Lawrence Lake July 3, 2016. A Governor General press release June 1 said Dicks heard a loud cracking noise and quickly realized a nine-metre-tall tree segment had broken off and was about to fall on a tent with four children, including three of her own.
"Without hesitation, she sprinted to the tent and used her body to absorb and deflect the impact from the trunk. Ms. Dicks suffered severe injuries that left her permanently paralyzed, but she managed to keep the children safe," the press release said.
The impact damaged her spine, broke her ribs and crushed her sternum. The injuries required an extended stay in the hospital for Dicks, whose story received national attention and was covered by CBC and The Canadian Press.
Reflecting on the coverage the story garnered, Dicks said she does not like being the centre of attention but liked the thought of being an inspiration.
"People are always telling me it's inspiring and that it was brave. I just felt like I did what I had to do. I'm their mom and they're my babies and I would do anything to protect them," Dicks said."I don't like being the centre of attention, it's really not my thing. But if what I did can inspire people, then I'm okay with that."
Everything changed after her injury, Dicks said, adding she had to move homes and be very careful with her health due to an increased risk of infections.
"There's been a few heath scares and definitely have my bad days," Dicks said. "But I did it for the kids and the kids keep me going."
Getting around town has also been made more difficult, Dicks said. She added she plans to gather information to try and approach Athabasca County about creating an accessible beach.
A fundraising page made for Dicks after the incident raised $58,431. Dicks thanked the community for the support they have given her.
"I want to thank the community for the support they gave me when I was first injured. It definitely made a huge difference in what I was able to achieve in the first few months," she said.
