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“It wasn’t until I woke up under the bright lights of the Emergency Department at Joseph Brant Hospital did I truly let go of what I had been holding back and fighting for years,” she says. “Following an extensive mental breakdown shortly after New Year’s in 2023, I started what would be a 12 day admission to the in-patient psychiatric unit.”

For Alison, it was terrifying to leave her husband and children, afraid of what would come next. She was afraid that the terrible thing she had been trying to keep away had finally broken in.

What she learned in her time as an inpatient not only surprised her, but also what she had assumed would be the thing that broke her, turned out to be the very thing that saved her life.

“I was properly diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). I was given the guidance I needed on medication and therapy. I received the help and support that I needed, guided by those who showed me nothing but kindness and understanding,” she says. “The help I received in those 12 days gave me hope and openly handed me back my life in a way that I don’t think I’ll ever truly be able to express.”

For Alison, stigma and shame drove her to the place she didn’t know she needed to go, and helped her find understanding and compassion.

“I realized I was never broken to begin with, I just needed help,” she says. “And other people need to be able to see this too.”

For Alison, sharing her experience is an opportunity to inspire others, and to encourage open communication and to give a voice to those who are smiling in silence as a way of coping.

“An open ear and an open heart can go further then you ever imagined,” she says.

Join Alison for this year’s Walk to the Lighthouse in support of the Mental Health and Addictions program at JBH. Learn more at https://walktothelighthouse2024.funraise.org/.

A month prior to graduation, everything changed again. Olivia’s teacher reported that she was displaying a change of behaviour in the classroom. 

“I was unfocused, energized, running up and down the stairs, standing on desks, easily distracted, talkative, and my medications were no longer working,” she said. “My psychiatrist started the process to reassess my original diagnosis.” 

The day before her 18^th birthday, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While the news was difficult to receive, Olivia and her family were grateful to have such rapid access to the psychiatrist. Because of this, they were able to avoid hospitalization and medication changes were quickly made which helped to stabilize her symptoms. 

Despite all of this, Olivia graduated with highest marks in her class, won an award for most volunteer hours and was nominated for a community award for her outreach efforts. While she was accepted into all her university choices, Olivia had unfortunately lost her confidence. 

“My brief manic episode made my anxious of becoming unstable while at university,” she said. “I was fearful of being away from the support of my family and psychiatrist who could help recognize the symptoms and provide me with the tools I need to promote stability.”

Ultimately, she settled on attending a small university close to home. Unfortunately, the stress was too much and she destabilized during second semester and had to withdraw. Her mood became extremely low and a hospitalization was needed to restabilize. She attempted university two more times, but couldn’t complete a year as she would become very depressed and lose all focus and motivation. It was disheartening since so much hard work and effort had been made to get Olivia to university. 

“I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher, but realized that this was not going to be possible if I couldn’t even complete one year of university,” she said. “I knew deep down that I wanted to work in some type of helping profession.”

Olivia heard about Bethany Residence, which is a supportive housing facility for adults with severe and persistent mental illness, and has been working there for nearly three years. Olivia recently completed a Peer Support Course and draws on this for her work. She provides personal support and care to the residents and teaches her residents healthy coping strategies and encourages them to use these strategies when they feel dysregulated. 

“I will often share my own experience with mental health, which connects me to the residents,” she said. “It helps them to know that I understands what this struggle can feel like and gives them hope that through proper treatment, medication and management, stability is possible.”

Olivia is still connected to a psychiatrist through Community Mental Health at Joseph Brant Hospital. Through consistent monitoring, her symptoms are quite well managed. She works full time and recently moved out on her own which has given her the hope that a “normal” life is possible. 

“I know that I need to manage my illness and be aware of the signs and symptoms. Early detection of symptoms and intervention is my best defense and I am grateful for the support of the clinic at JBH,” she said. “It is reassuring to know that I am being monitored closely and that there is support available if I begin to become unstable.”

While Olivia’s life is different from how she envisioned it, she has made the best of this difficult situation and challenging diagnosis. She has not let it dampen her spirit and is not defined by her diagnosis. She is working hard to build her life and to find meaning in her experience. 

“I want others to know that with the right treatment and the right attitude that recovery is possible,” she said.

Olivia will be helping with this year’s Walk to the Lighthouse. 

“Last year a few of the residents from Bethany joined the walk for the first time,” she said. “This year, it is our hope to have many more residents, families and staff walk in support of Mental Health and Addiction Services at JBH.”

You can learn more about the Walk to the Lighthouse at https://walktothelighthouse2024.funraise.org/. 

Tony’s wife recalls the fear she felt and couldn’t believe the news.

“Tony was not angry or negative with this experience, but I was scared. But I soon felt reassured because we were provided with a whole support system of doctors, nurses, and staff,” says Lisa.

Tony would need three lifesaving operations and was put on antibiotics to ensure the gangrene would not spread in his body.

“Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Kalina, Dr. Dzaja and the whole team were incredible with Tony and with our entire family,” recalls Lisa. “From the physiotherapy team and nurses giving us updates, they went over and beyond to ensure we had a roadmap and knew what to expect every step of the way.”

For Tony and Lisa, it was how the entire team took care of their family that made their experience one they would never forget.

“It wasn’t just a doctor or just a nurse, it was someone who truly cared and that’s the way everyone was with us. We felt like we were in safe hands,” says Lisa.

What felt like an initial bleak situation turned into one of hope.

“I could never have imagined this whole experience happening to me. But the overall experience of feeling supported – it made me confident,” says Tony. “This is a new chapter in my life.”

After a series of tests were run, doctors began to believe it was Myeloma. Joanne met with Dr. Kang quickly, where she was told she needed to get a bone marrow biopsy done immediately.

“I was so impressed with the urgency, the attention, the listening – consciously listening to me and being attentive,” says Joanne.

Joanne was diagnosed with high-risk multiple myeloma ( T(4,14)) and soon began chemotherapy treatments.

“It was awful, it was shocking, and it was frightening. Cancer is one thing, but I’d never heard of multiple Myeloma which created more fear in me,” says Joanne. “The staff in Oncology were superior. They knew that I was emotionally struggling and immediately set me up with one of the social workers in Oncology.”

Joanne was called back to see Dr. Kang where he informed her that they needed to perform, two, back to back, stem-cell transplants – also known as a tandem transplant.

“The doctors and staff were so prompt with these tests – everything was urgent and immediate,” remembers Joanne.

Joanne continues to return to Joseph Brant Hospital lovingly and warmly for indefinite, bi-weekly chemotherapy.

“I have never been so grateful to be alive for every second of my every day. It’s no doubt this diagnosis has dramatically changed the person I am. I feel like my cancer has now empowered me as a person, and I owe it to Joseph Brant Hospital,” says Joanne.

For Joanne, she can’t help but be full of hope because of the staff at Joseph Brant Hospital.

“To this day, I find absolute strength in knowing that the staff have my life in their hands. I have absolute trust and faith in them,” says Joanne, “When I walk into Oncology, I feel empowered – I no longer feel scared. I feel that I’m beating cancer.”

Bill was referred with Dr. Bacopolous at Joseph Brant Hospital where he had his first surgery in August.  Unfortunately after surgery, he was told that the tumour had grown and it was in a location where nothing could be done.

“I was assigned to Dr. Phillips, and was scheduled to start chemotherapy in late September, but then my blood count dropped which required a transfusion. Shortly after, unrelated to the transfusion, I developed a blood clot that put me in the hospital for 8 days,” recounts Bill. “My tumor had grown to such an extent, I couldn’t digest food.”

Bill was soon set up for radiation, which resulted in some improvements that meant by the mid-December Bill was in a position to begin chemotherapy.

“My question to the doctors was, what happens if I don’t do chemo?,” Bill said. “They told me if I didn’t, I would only have a couple months to live – maybe a year.”

Bill began to look at short term goals, and just ahead of his sixth chemotherapy treatment, he booked a trip to Los Angeles to take in a Dodgers game and to see Bruce Springsteen. He had another assessment meeting, where it was discovered that his tumours had shrunk to where he was a candidate for surgery. After two more chemotherapy sessions, he took a break to prepare for surgery and after meeting his surgeon, he flew to Los Angeles.

During Bill’s treatments, his tumor went from inoperable to operable and Bill was deemed a candidate for surgery, which he underwent, lasting 12 hours.

When a post-surgery follow up CT scan was conducted in early September it had picked up 21 cancerous spots on his liver.

“My condition was treatable, but not curable. I went through another 16 chemo sessions. By the end of the June, I asked my doctors for a break for the summer.  Before we could proceed with the break a CT was conducted and there was no evidence of cancer,” remarks Bill.

Over the next 10 years, the doctors continued quarterly assessments and tests that soon scaled down to semi-annual.

“The presence of cancer had not come back,” says Bill, “I had only a few months to live, but 10 years later, I got to ring the bell to mark the end of my treatment journey.”

For Bill, Joseph Brant Hospital was the difference maker.

“The doctors and staff are strong and caring individuals who want every patient to be successful. They give you a positive attitude which benefits your health outcomes,” says Bill. “They go above their job, because they care about you as an individual. It goes a long way to build the confidence you need to go through something as difficult as this. If the people supporting you believe in you, it makes you stronger for the fight you have ahead.”