Overcoming Tuesday: A First Responder's Tale of Healing And Resiliency

by James Lawrence Burneka Jr., Emily Junker (editor), Hilary Leah Hawkins

As a first responder, firefighter paramedic Jim Burneka encounters traumatic events the average person will likely never experience, but to him, it’s just another day—it’s Tuesday.

In spite of being the wellness coordinator for the local fire department, Jim falls victim to Tuesday, the trauma he encounters daily, and finds himself spiraling down a dark and hopeless path including post-tramatic stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

Finally, Jim must make the choice between succumbing to Tuesday or asking for the help he so desperately needs.

Hawkins and Burneka recount a story of healing and resilience to empower others to seek help, and to encourage them to replace despair with hope. This book shares a variety of valuable resources that are available to help those struggling with mental or physical struggles.

The fight for wellness among first responders shouldn’t be a silent battle fought alone, but together; we can overcome Tuesday.

211 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2024

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overcoming Tuesday delivers a powerful and honest look at a personal journey many face but rarely talk about. The author’s insight into mental health challenges—especially those carried by first responders—is moving and necessary. You can’t undo or unsee what they witness daily, and this book captures that truth with raw clarity and compassion.

Thank you to the author for sharing their story and putting into words a process that so many struggle to express. This is a brave, meaningful, and deeply impactful read.

[Heather Hiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overcoming Tuesday is a powerful book about the journey of a first responder healing from the trauma he encountered on the job. It's a true story of falling into the darkness, and finding hope and purpose. The authors share a lot of resources available to help anyone struggling with mental health issues. I think it's a great read for not only first responders but their friends and family too. It is well written and easy to follow. I highly recommend!

[Brittany Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so powerful !
I felt like I was on every call with them. Each call that they went on you felt like you were really there the way they described what they saw. The book has pictures to describe life memories that they were going through. They author and writer both did a great job at describing ptsd most books just list the symptoms but this they described real life examples of the affects of ptsd every single fire fighter family should read this book.

[William J. Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fellow sufferer

I liked the information given in this book, it should really help past and future first responders. I personally have used some of the information that I found on my own, I have ptsd, and I accidentally found some of these sources. I had no idea how many more there are. I ended my career earlier than I expected also. I experienced a lot of soul crushing disappointment as I felt no one gave a hoot. Thank you for helping all you can.

[Sarah Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the wife of a firefighter, it was enlightening to read this book. It gave me insight into the mind of a firefighter and some of the things that are possibly going on under the surface that I can’t always see. It was also interesting to read about some of the events that I remember as a fellow Ohioan from a first hand perspective. I would recommend this book to any member of a firefighter family. We are all in this together, whether we are fighting internal battles or physical flames.