Category: Featured Story

Feature Story – Dealing with Anxiety

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
By Katie As an introvert, I have always been quiet and shy. I don’t enjoy large crowds, and spending time with others leaves me drained. Small talk does not come easy to me, nor does talking to people in general. I have a small group of friends, but I’m okay with that. Overall, I was a fairly balanced kid in elementary and high school. Then came my first year to college. The anxiety I have dealt with in the past was nothing compared to the anxiety I had felt during my first year in college. Throughout my experience in college,...Read More

Feature Story – Myles Neuts’ Make Children Better Now Association

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
February 6, 1998 was a day that changed the lives of Mike and Brenda Neuts forever. Devastation struck their lives when their 10-year-old son, Myles, was found hanging on a coat hook in the washroom at his school during the lunch period. Sadly, Myles never went home again. What followed was a funeral, a police investigation and a coroner’s inquest where Mike and Brenda acted as their own legal counsel.  Their experiences during this time of loss and investigation gave this family greater insights into the lives, behaviours, issues and concerns of children. Out of this tragedy was birthed the...Read More
The Trades: Mental Health in the Pandemic

The Trades: Mental Health in the Pandemic

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
It's no surprise that due to the pandemic, we have seen an increase in the number of people who struggle with mental health issues and illnesses over the course of the last two years.  Supply chain issues have caused employment insecurity, so workers question their ability to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.  Lockdowns and isolation have made people lonely and depressed. People fear for their loved ones’ health as well, as many of us now know someone personally who has had, or has died from, Covid.  Every demographic has had their share of woes...Read More

A Look at Grief

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
By Dawn Stilwell This space on the website is usually where I write about someone else’s mental health story, but this month, I decided to share mine with you in the hopes of raising awareness about resources for grief that you may not know are available to you. My youngest sister Jennifer was diagnosed a year and a half ago with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer.  This kind of breast cancer is the worst kind to get; the five-year survival rate is only 1 in five.  Jen went through months of chemo, a radical mastectomy and then months of radiation...Read More

Feature Story – PANDAS/PANS Awareness

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
By Dawn Stilwell It’s 8:30 in the evening and time to put your 8-year-old child to bed.  Off he goes, tired but happy, as he does most nights.  It’s a normal day and all is well.  Imagine now that the very next morning, the happy child that you put to bed last night has drastically changed.  He is agitated, anxious and is suddenly quite obsessed with the cleanliness of his hands, washing them many times throughout the day. You remind him that his hands are already clean, but he can’t seem to curb his need to wash them. You try...Read More

Featured Story – Debb Pitel

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
My name is Debb Pitel, wife of 31 years to Kevin and mother to four sons. My journey or life experience hasn’t always had a name. There was feeling overwhelmed, being emotional, there were struggles and at times, it all seemed too much to handle. Not all life lessons are taught; in my case, they were learned through experiences.  Countless times, I just needed to talk to someone whom I thought wouldn’t judge me, but instead, I remained silent. When my son Tyler began to struggle, we knew very quickly we needed help. Back 20 years ago, resources were called...Read More

Featured Story – Patti Welsh

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
Written by Patti Welsh Fog. That’s what I woke up to and pushed through for months. Bubble wrap. That’s how I describe my mind, with pockets of clarity and yet such forgetfulness. Fatigue. Being unable to sleep for fear of these memories haunting me when I yearned for rest. Tears. Flowing at anytime. All the time. Remembering people’s names, dates and specific details became impossible to recall. Hence the tears. This is what my life was like for many months after my daughter died. She ended her life on December 27, while talking to me on the phone. She had...Read More

Featured Story – G. Connors

Posted on by Dawn Stilwell
Written by Dawn Stilwell G. Connors spent his entire career in Emergency Medical Services, working as a paramedic. As you can imagine, this kind of work has its share of traumatic experiences for the first responders who attend suicides, horrific accidents and more. Over time, G’s mental health began to suffer and he was eventually diagnosed with PTSD, which was attributable to his experiences on the job. During his tenure in EMS, G and others would ask for debriefings where first responders could open up and share about what they experienced during traumatic calls they attended. Various agencies and services...Read More