Project Life Spark is a Canadian charity that funds medically supervised trauma treatment for the people who show up when everything goes wrong. When the usual treatments have run out, we help them find a way back.
They're the firefighters, police officers and paramedics you see every day, and the veterans who served before them. The job asks them to carry what the rest of us never see.
For many, years of standard therapy and medication haven't been enough. We fund a different path: medically supervised, evidence-based treatment that's showing remarkable results, and that most Canadians can't get or afford on their own.
of Canadian public safety personnel screened positive for symptoms of at least one mental disorder. The general population figure is about 10%.
Carleton et al., Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 2018. Survey of 5,813 personnel.of paramedics in the same national survey screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Carleton et al., 2018.estimated PTSD rate among firefighters deployed to the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, found in structured clinical interviews.
CIPSRT knowledge report, 2021.
Jeremy Hudec joined the RCMP in 2005. Within a year, the work had started to follow him home: the insomnia, the numbness, the anger, the distance from the people he loved. In 2010 he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In 2015 he was medically retired.
He did everything that was asked of him. EMDR, cognitive behavioural therapy, cognitive processing therapy, exposure therapy, group therapy and a long list of medications.
"I felt like I tried every method of therapy that had been asked of me and took numerous different medications that were prescribed, but I never really felt better. I had exhausted all avenues possible."
Then, half-listening to a five-hour podcast, he heard two veterans mention, almost in passing, that they didn't need to drink anymore and were finally present with their families. He tracked down the clip, reached out to the host, and got two words back: ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT.
In November 2024 he travelled to The Mission Within, a medically supervised clinic in Mexico. He came home lighter than he'd felt in nearly twenty years. He no longer needed cannabis to sleep or a drink to be in a room full of people.
Jeremy and Laura paid for another veteran's treatment out of their own pocket. Then they looked at how few options Canadians had compared with Americans, and decided one wasn't enough. Project Life Spark is what came next.
Jeremy and Laura Hudec, co-founders. Jeremy also works as an aviation safety advisor and sits on the board of the Psychedelic Association of Canada.
Every person we fund follows the same path, start to finish. Nobody is put on a plane without a medical green light, and nobody comes home to an empty calendar.
A real person listens, answers questions and confirms eligibility. No pressure, no forms to start.
Psychiatric and medical evaluations, including heart screening with an ECG, before anything is booked.
An intensive retreat at a partner clinic in Mexico, with medical staff and monitoring throughout.
Months of aftercare, including one-on-one coaching, to turn a breakthrough into everyday life.
Outcomes measured before and after treatment, so we can show what works and keep improving.
Each participant contributes an amount that's meaningful to them. Our Wellness Fund covers the rest.
In a Stanford Medicine study published in Nature Medicine in 2024, 30 special operations veterans received magnesium and ibogaine at a clinic in Mexico. One month later, average disability had gone from mild-to-moderate to none.
The study had no control group, and the researchers say more trials are needed. Read what it found, and what it didn't.
The Mission Within and Ambio Life Sciences are physician-led clinics in Mexico. Together they report treating about 3,000 veterans over the past decade, and Ambio's protocol is the one Stanford studied.
You should know exactly what you're supporting. Here's what we tell every donor and every applicant.
General information, not medical advice. Psychedelic-assisted treatment isn't right for everyone, and screening decides who can safely take part.
No ibogaine product is authorized for sale in Canada, and Health Canada has warned against unauthorized products. We never supply any substance here. Treatment happens at medically supervised clinics in Mexico, where it can legally be given under medical care. Here at home, we advocate for safe, regulated access.
Ibogaine can affect heart rhythm. Serious reactions and deaths have been reported worldwide, most often tied to existing heart conditions, interactions with other drugs, or use without medical supervision. We take that seriously, and it shapes every decision we make.
Our board includes Col (ret'd) Dr. Rakesh Jetly, the former Chief of Psychiatry for the Canadian Armed Forces, and David Wood, PhD, a lawyer with a doctorate in biochemistry. Read our full guide to ibogaine safety.
Your gift pays for treatment and the care around it. We keep our running costs as low as we can, and we'll publish exactly what they are every year.
Sponsors get an anonymized update when the journey is complete, so you can see what your gift made possible.
Canadian donors receive an official tax receipt. Donations are processed securely through Keela.
We're new, and we'd rather show you that than hide it. Here's everything that's happened, with dates.
Our board brings together lived experience, psychiatry, law and finance. Every one of them puts their name to this work.
CEO and Chair
Medically retired RCMP member after ten years of service. Co-founder. Board member, Psychedelic Association of Canada.
Director
Chief of Psychiatry for the Canadian Armed Forces until 2021. Led mental health care in Kandahar. Author of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers.
Director
Founder of Bloom Psychedelic Therapy and Research Institute. Funded the University of Calgary's Parker Psychedelic Research Chair.
Director
Nearly 15 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, including special operations. Deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa.
Director
Lawyer and patent agent with a doctorate in biochemistry. Member of the Law Society of Alberta.
Nearly half of Canada's public safety personnel screen positive for a mental health disorder. Here's what the numbers show, profession by profession, and why standard treatment so often falls short.
Read the articleThirty veterans, one treatment, an 88% drop in PTSD symptoms. A plain reading of the most important study in our field.
The risks are real. Here's what they are, who's most at risk, and the safeguards we require.
Whether you're thinking about applying, giving, partnering or just want to understand the treatment, a real person reads every message.
Prefer email?info@projectlifespark.org
Currently serving or retired Canadian firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other first responders, and Canadian military veterans, living with PTSD, traumatic brain injury or related mental health concerns. Spouses and adult children of those who died in service can also apply.
Yes. Canadian donors receive an official receipt from a CRA-registered charity. Donors outside Canada can give, but won't be able to claim a deduction in their own country.
No. Start with a message. We'll talk it through and explain the medical screening before anything else happens.
Yes. Your message goes only to our team and is never shared or sold. Health information is handled with care and only used to assess funding.
