'Jeff has a very long, difficult road ahead. But he is not walking it alone'

The wife of the police officer who was shot while stopping a gunman outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ont., has released an emotional thank you to supporters and “every scared soul” who was inside the building that night.

In a message on Facebook Tuesday night, Ashley Smith posted a photo of herself holding the hand of Const. Jeff Smith, who is in critical but stable condition in hospital.

“Today, I held Jeff’s hand. And I thought about all of those hands. All of the people who have carried him, cared for him, prayed for him, fought for him and held us up when we didn’t know how we were going to stand,” she wrote. “I will never forget any of it.”

A GoFundMe for the family, organized by the Canadian Jewish community, raised $518,231 as of Thursday, surpassing its initial goal of $450,000.

Below, Ashley Smith’s statement:

Hello, world.
I don’t know where to begin.
My words aren’t strong or steady yet, but I knew I needed to find them. I needed to use my voice for my dear Jeff, until he is able to use his.

From the deepest part of my heart and soul, thank you.

Thank you to this good and kind world that has surrounded Jeff and our family with more love, compassion, generosity and selflessness than I could ever put into words.

I cannot begin to express what the outpouring of love and support has meant to us. I know there are things happening every day that I don’t even know about yet. Messages being sent. Prayers being said. People checking in. Hands reaching out.
And I know that my gratitude will never be enough.

I am witnessing real-life miracles.
And so many of them have happened through human hands.

The life-saving hands of paramedics and police. The hands of an angel neurosurgeon. The steady, capable hands of trauma teams, doctors, nurses, RTs, PSWs and so many others whose names we may never know, but whose kindness and skill we will carry with us forever.
The helping hands of neighbours, friends, community members and volunteers.
And then there are the hands that held me and my sweet girls when we were living through the scariest and darkest day of our lives.

Today, I held Jeff’s hand.
And I thought about all of those hands.

All of the people who have carried him, cared for him, prayed for him, fought for him and held us up when we didn’t know how we were going to stand.

I will never forget any of it.

I also want to send my love and prayers to the Jewish community, and to every scared soul who was there on Sunday night. Please know that your love, your prayers and your support have reached us. We are deeply grateful. We love you, we see you, we pray for you.

So I am asking for one thing.
Keep it coming.
Prayer. Hope. Faith. Love. Whatever you have to give, please keep giving it. We will take every bit of it we can get.
Jeff has a very long, difficult road ahead.
But he is not walking it alone.
He has an army of love behind him.
And I know Jeff.
He is the best man I know.
He loves his family with his whole heart. He cares deeply. He gives freely. He shows up. He is a man of integrity. He is my safest place.
And right now, he is fighting.
So we will fight with him.
Thank you for loving him.
Thank you for believing in him.
Thank you for honouring him.
Thank you for holding our family up.
Our hero.
Your hero.

With heartfelt gratitude,
Ashley

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