HiAs a professional hockey player, I spend a lot of time in the spotlight, both on and off the ice. My private life is pretty normal really. I have a wife, three young children, close friends, and a family back in Sweden.
So when my sister began struggling with mental illness I wasn’t sure what to do or how to help. I didn’t understand what was happening to her and had no idea how to help. To be honest, I don’t feel that I did enough to support her at the time.
My sister was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder eight years ago. She has great days and other days that aren’t so good. She has great support from my parents and her boyfriend and I do everything I can even though we live so far away from each other. But she still faces societal challenges related to stigma. That’s not right.
That’s why I’ve decided to speak out for mental health with my sister’s blessing to lead the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health’s you know who I am campaign. This is a way I can demonstrate my love for my sister and encourage people to get help when they need it without fear of shame. I also want to remind everyone that mental illness deserves the same care and compassion as any other physical illness.
So let’s educate ourselves about mental illness. It’s a complicated thing to understand – and it can take many different forms, from mild to chronic illness. The more we understand, the less fear and stigma we will have, and the easier it will be for people suffering to get help.
Together we can make a difference - Together we can change attitudes - Together we can mend the lives that have been broken.
Thanks for your time.
Daniel
10 comments:
Hi Daniel
your involvement is de-stigmatizing mental illness will help people suffering immeasurably
thanks a lot
Thank you Daniel, your support will help bring light to anyone who might be suffering from this disease and their families. Hearing your story yesterday brought tears to my eyes, it just goes to show this illness could touch anyone's life.
I just found out my little sister has been suffering from Mental Illness . I feel so guilty for not not realizing something was wrong all these years. Now that I know I will be able to give her the love and support she needs and deserves. We as a family have a long road ahead to try and get my sister the help she needs and hopefully she will not be afraid of the stigma of Mental Illness. She is a beautiful loving person and we need to have her back.
I feel like writing here today is also a step in the right direction for me to help my sister.
All the best to you, your sister and family.
anonymous
Catherine
Do you know that Mozart, Beethovan, Michaelangelo and many other well known, intelligent and creative individuals also suffered with mental illness?
There is a very fine line between intelligence and mental health. I have learned through research that many many brilliant people on this planet suffer with a form of mental health. How wonderful it is to be in the same calibre of intelligent people. We get to be positively crazy while being wonderfully intelligent.
And yes....your intellect knew better....a patient at the ROH?....go figure! right?
Like I said on the website.....the intelligent sufferers are the ones that are normal...the ones that haven't been touched with mental illness are the dsyfunctionals and the crazies!!!! They haven't been introduced to their own being! This concept works for me so I'm holding on to it!!!!
Congratulations for fighting and staying the course Catherine. You go girl!!! The best is yet to come!
Thanks Alfie...
Thanks Daniel
We need more people like you to help fight this disease.. the people who personally suffer have their own battles and many can not speak for themselves.
Hi Daniel,
My name is Joanne and I have a twin sister (Deborah) who has a panic disorder and an anxiety and ADD. I am trying to cope with it and so is she. We both play hockey and both doing very well at it. I think that Deborah doesnt think about it when she plays because she is so focused on being a goalie. We both love hockey so much it is something that we can do to get away from losing a mother to cancer and almost loosing our father last year to pneumonia. I have helped my sister alot through all of these changes in our lives and hoping that it will get better.
Joanne
Die-hard Sens Fan
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your story - I hope you will return to this website and read through the comments from others.
Thanks again.
Daniel, I was delighted to hear your radio advertisement in support of mental illness. When I first starting volunteering at the ROH about 10 years ago, I knew very little about mental illness, but I now have great empathy for all those who suffer from this. It's terrific that someone as prominent in Ottawa as yourself is helping to eliminate the stigma of mental illness. Thank you.
Hilda van Walraven
Hello Daniel,
I have been reading this since it first started after I heard your advertisement. It took me this long to come on the blog for many reasons. First, thank you because I think you are bringing up a subject that is very taboo, i.e. mental illness. Second, it takes a lot of courage to speak about personal experiences and open yourself like this to the world. There is such a stigma with mental illness and usually we keep it hidden, locked in our closet with our skeletons. What brings me today is my 13 year old son who broke down and told me why do I have to be so different? Why can't I just feel normal. He has General Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder, Mood Disorder/depression as well as Tourette Syndrome, A.D.H.D. and Learning disabilities in language.There are days when I don't know which one is worst. I have 3 boys and all of them are afflicted with mental illnesses as well as other neurological disorders. I also have General Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder and Mood Disorders/depression. For the longest time I hid in the closet never telling anyone about the turmoil and inner battles that raged inside. It wasn't until I had children and they had the same disorders that I realize I have to come out and let people know and educate myself and others so I could help my sons. I have been trying to advocate about mental illness now for 20 years but it has not been till the last 2 years that I realized more needs to be done. My 13 year old attempted suicide twice in the last 2 years because he could no longer deal with the stigma and the teasing and the hardship that comes with having multiple mental illnesses. I have been trying very hard over the last year to make everyone around us understand how difficult it is for my son to deal with all this at 13 year old. Many people don't seem to understand because he has his good days when everything will run pretty smoothly but then the bad days come where his anxiety will be at such a high level that it makes his Obssessive-Compulsive-Disorder
unmanageable, is Tourette Syndrome worse and then the lows hit and he will sink into a depressive state. It is an ongoing emotional roller coaster and unless you have live trough it you can't really understand it. He is going for surgery tomorrow and yesterday he said to me why do I have to deal with so many things at once. I am so tired and exhausted. I don't know if I can be strong enough. All I could say to him is to never give up. Better days are yet to come, and I know they do come even if there are so few of them in between. I am hoping Daniel with you making it more visible and acceptable, that mental illnesses won't be this badge of shame/guilt and resentment that of lot of us carry. I know that often I wonder about the genetic of it and feel awful at what I am putting my sons through. I am hoping this fall will be a better year for him in high school and that as more people become aware of mental illness and how it impacts not just the individual but the whole family they will have more understanding, compassion and support for the people that are suffering from it but as well for all the great people that try to help;i.e. the Royal Ottawa Hospital and others in the health care system. As a footnote, I was a patient of the Royal Ottawa hospital for many years until my doctor opened a private practice and my oldest son was seen at the Royal Ottawa Hospital as a teen in the Mental Health department.
Again, thank you for giving me the courage to speak out about it and to not give up, there is Hope out there.
Linda
Thanks, Daniel for all you do!
I want to make sure you are aware of this cross country ride and that Ottawa will be a stop along the way.
http://www.eie.thekeltyfoundation.org/?utm_source=Enough+is+Enough+Cross+Canada+Ride+-+Issue+2&utm_campaign=Enough+is+Enough+1&utm_medium=email
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