This morning I’ll be at The EY Centre for the 11th Annual Leaders for Mental Health Breakfast.
It seems many of my important conversations happen over breakfast. (Link to last week’s post)
Despite the ungodly start time of 7:00 am, close to 1000 of Ottawa’s business and community leaders will be here with me.
At some point this morning, they’re going to play the video I recorded that shares my experience losing my brother to suicide. I know I won’t be able to hold back my tears.
I’ve touched on this story before because of course it’s had a profound impact on my life.
There was my post of February 9, 2017, https://ca.rbcwealthmanagement.com/colleen.campbell/blog/1429810-Family-Fiddles-and-Flashbacks; my podcast interview with W. Brett Wilson, https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/im-a-millionaire-so-now-what/id1432211995?mt=2#episodeGuid=6e6f00c1d7b04d78af39515e1870b88c and this week’s podcast episode 14 (Leaders for Mental Health – email me if you need the link).
I want to make sure that people stop suffering in silence. This event addresses the stigma and treatment of mental illness. The event raised $330,000 in 2016, and $550,000 last year. I’ll share over social media what we raise in 2018, or feel free to email me.
I won’t be the only one trying to hold back tears. There will be tears of sadness for those who could not be saved and tears of hope that more people will move into remission. This is an event that shares highly emotive personal mental health stories. We’ll also hear about how programs and research at the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health are affecting change in our community and around the world.
“The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental health care and academic health science centres. Its mandate is simple: to get more people living with mental illness into recovery faster. The Royal combines the delivery of specialized mental health care, advocacy, research and education to transform the lives of people with complex and treatment-resistant mental illness. The Royal’s research arm is the Institute of Mental Health Research; The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health raises funds that support The Royal’s work.”
As a volunteer on the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health and as a founding member of the Women for Mental Health – I am always open to having a conversation about how to support this cause.
Because, really, we all have a story.
Recently, at the 4thAnnual Fore-Play for Charity Ottawa Women’s Networking Golf tournament in support of mental health, I started my speech with the following:
“Everyone, please stand up! Now, sit down if you-yourself have ever suffered from mental unwellness. Sit down if your significant other, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister is suffering or has suffered from a mental health condition. Sit down if your grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin is suffering or has suffered from a mental health condition. How about… friends, acquaintances, or business colleagues or associates? Sit down if you know anyone who is suffering or has suffered from a mental health condition.”
There were over 130 people in the room. Not one person was left standing.
So much for the statistics that say mental illness affects one in three people. It clearly affects all of us. And it still takes an enormous amount of courage to seek help.
Mental unwellness does not discriminate based on socio-economic background, race or gender. More than half the people who die by suicide are between 14 and 44. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth 15 to 24.
My brother, Danny O’Connell, was 24 when he became an angel by suicide. My aunt, god mother and friend managed a life with bi-polar and passed away from cancer, (fortunately?) not suicide, at the age of 50. I have friends and family that suffer, some in silence, still confronted with stigma.
Mortality rates from suicide have not improved, while mortality rates for almost all other major diseases, even cancer and heart disease, have declined dramatically – largely due to research. Research makes a difference. Research takes funding.
I am making it a mission in life to talk about mental illness to increase awareness, to ease stigma, and to help raise funds to get more people living with mental illness into recovery faster.
Consider including mental health giving in your philanthropic portfolio. If you’re interested in supporting this cause, please consider making a donation directly or email me to have a deeper conversation.
You know who I am. Are you with me?