Left for dead and denied help, woman hopes to rebuild her life in Calgary

In 2021, Shona Holman was left to die in a frozen field near Stettler, about 225 kilometres north of Calgary

Against all odds, she survived. 

But, 10 days after Mounties rescued her as she dragged herself along the snowy ground — her shoeless feet like useless concrete blocks — doctors had to amputate her feet.

“I ran so hard and fast, my shoes came off, but I didn’t dare stop,” Holman said, recalling her desperate flight from a former boyfriend. “I ran until I couldn’t.”

More than 10 hours later, a woman walking a dog saw her. 

“She called police to say there was some weird person out in the field trying to sneak up on their home, and the police came but didn’t bring an ambulance,” Holman said. “They thought I was there to do crime or something.”

RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff confirmed to CityNews that a call came in on Feb. 15, 2021, reporting a person yelling for help in a rural area near east-central Alberta town.

By that time, Holman had been out in the elements for more than 10 hours.

Officers wrapped her in blankets and their own jackets until paramedics arrived.

John Marshal Martyn, 46, was subsequently convicted of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and handed an 18-month jail term.

Rocky road to recovery

Losing her feet and learning to navigate on prosthetics and with a wheelchair was physically and emotionally tough for Holman, but that was not the worst of it.

Life has been hellish as the 46-year-old struggles to navigate the social safety network. 

Right now, she has temporary housing with a relative but is on the cusp of being homeless and her application for Assured Income for Severely Handicapped (AISH) was declined.

“When I woke up in the hospital after losing my feet a psychiatrist said, ‘We really need to get you put on AISH, not for your feet but because of what you went through,'” Holman said.

She says seeing the lifeline she hoped to rely on to rebuild her life ripped away is devastating.

“I had a whole life,” Holman said. “I lost everything when I lost my feet — everything just kept getting worse and worse until I actually had nothing.”

“As much as I’m not OK, I still want to be OK,” she added, choking back tears. “I want to fight to be OK.”

While trying to get safe, affordable, and accessible housing, Holman panhandles to supplement income support she does receive.

She often sits outside establishments holding a sign informing people she was rejected by AISH. 

“People would stop and say, ‘That’s so unfair,’” she says. “Some guy said his brother was terminally ill and they waited for months until he was dead to OK him.

“Other people applied up to six times until they got it.”

Province says it’s fixing the system 

The province defends the program, saying Alberta provides the highest AISH payment among the 10 provinces at $1,787, with more than 75,000 individuals receiving benefits.

Spokeswoman Heather Barlow says benefits include a monthly living allowance to assist with basic living costs like food, rent, and utilities and funding for other costs.

If an application is denied, individuals can submit additional information for reconsideration or submit an appeal, the province says.

Panhandling isn’t easy

“The first time, I couldn’t bring myself to do it,” Holman said. “The second time was Canada Day and I wished everyone a happy Canada Day and didn’t ask for anything.

“After that, I would just say, ‘Good day,’ and genuinely mean it whether they help me or not.”

Rather than being embarrassed, she tells herself she is highlighting an issue that affects not just her.

“I’m raising awareness that the system denied a person after they were left to freeze to death and lost their feet,” Holman said. “I’d like to see changes to the AISH system.

“My whole intention was to use the privileges to better my education and start life and maybe start my own business and be self-sustaining.”

Calgarians step up to help

For Holman, asking for help has had a silver lining.

“I had been panhandling in front of Superstore and one day they told me I couldn’t, so I went over to Walmart and within five minutes, Jen walked over,” Holman recalled.

Jen Kremenik, Harvest Hills Cares’ founder, was shopping for food hampers when she met Holman and asked about her story.

“When I told Shona help was coming from the community, she said it was the first time in six months she actually had hope,” Kremenik told CityNews. “There have been so many who have fallen through the cracks. It’s truly heartbreaking.

“We want to get her on AISH to allow her to become more stable. Then everything else will fall into place.”

Through Harvest Hills Cares, people have offered to help with rent, furniture, legal services, and more.

A shop has even said it will outfit Holman with winter clothing tailored for people with amputations.

Since 2020, the registered non-profit has helped Calgarians in different ways — assisting more than 35,000 Calgarians with everything from food hampers to rent relief, utility payments, gas money, and bus tickets.

Holman now feels hopeful her luck will turn around and maybe one day she can pay it forward.

“I’d like to be helping other people,” she said. “I may not have feet but I want to make everyone aware of issues with AISH so things can be more smooth for people who have no choice. I want to make a difference.”