One night of drunken revelry permanently interrupted the outdoorsy, athletic lifestyle and promising career of a young, Aboriginal graphic arts student from Victoria, B.C. Toppling over a handrail in a parking garage onto the concrete floor below left Shane Baker in a coma for three weeks. When he awoke, he was brain damaged and legally blind. It's a cautionary tale he will share through a new video vignette created for the SMARTRISK No Regrets Live show. The show will feature Shane's story, which SMARTRISK produced with funding provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada. 

We are extremely pleased to be able to work with Shane, as part of our outreach into First Nations communities in Canada. The Live show's predecessor, SMARTRISK Heroes, presented to First Nations communities in Ontario several years ago. Focus groups of youths and teachers there told us they enjoyed and were engaged by the show but would have found it more effective had First Nations people and their lifestyles been reflected in the show's images and presenters. Bringing a more relevant Live show to First Nations communities is a project SMARTRISK is pleased to take on, particularly given that injury rates in their communities are substantially higher than those experienced in the rest of Canada.  We are very grateful that PHAC funding has allowed us to develop these new resources. 

Also new to the Live show is presenter Ned Levitt, who will speak from the perspective of a bereaved father. Ned lost his 18-year-old daughter, Stacey, to injury. Athletic, intelligent and a budding poet, Stacey had been out running after a long summer's day working as a lifeguard. She was wearing headphones when she stepped into the path of a car and was killed. For years, Ned says he believed Stacey's death was the result of a stupid "accident". After he was introduced to SMARTRISK through another bereaved father who had lost a son to injury, however, Ned says he came to understand that Stacey's death was predictable and preventable. He believes that had Stacey been exposed to smart risk messages in her youth, she would be alive today.  

In an effort to help other families avoid the tremendous heartbreak his family has experienced, Ned became involved with SMARTRISK and now chairs our Board of Directors. He has also consented to be a No Regrets Live presenter and will share his powerful story with an audience of students and their parents on Christian Island, Ont., this spring. A seasoned and compelling speaker, Ned can be booked through SMARTRISK to present to high schools and other venues, including corporate events, parent-teacher nights and the like.  

Visit the SMARTRISK No Regrets website or send an email  for more information or to investigate booking a Live show.