On March 14, 2014, Leica and her family experienced the loss of their 21-year-old son Jordan Gahan to a preventable workplace accident in Firebag, Alberta.
At this time, Leica was working as a health and safety coordinator for a family construction in New Brunswick for over 15 years. When she lost Jordan, this reignited a fire inside of her that she needed to be more intentional in her actions and had to promote prevention of health and safety injuries and fatalities every day. In 2017, Leica was asked to sit on the Injured Worker Advisory Committee for WorkSafe NB and she has enjoyed the opportunity to give a voice to families who have experienced a similar loss and to learn about the consequences of injuries in a workplace.
Leica continues to expand her knowledge in all areas of health and safety through courses and attending health and safety conferences. Leica is a member of the Speakers Bureau for Threads of Life. This provides Leica with the opportunity to travel from coast to coast sharing her personal story of losing her son and the dramatic effect it has had on her and everyone who loved him.
In addition to her work in health and safety, Leica has been actively involved in Celebrate Recovery at her local church for the past three years. This is a biblically based recovery program that addresses hurts, hang-ups, and habits using a 12-step approach. The program has made a significant impact on Leica’s life, and she now facilitates small groups and Step Studies to help other women on their journey to recovery.
