My mental health issues started in school where I was bullied. I started to self-harm, was into drugs and eventually ended up homeless and was in and out of the psych ward. I had depressive feelings, and I wouldn’t leave my apartment for days. I saw life as pointless and this manifested into an eating disorder.

When I got into CV4, there were people who listened to me and helped with things like budgeting. I was taught to be more honest, and that has helped. All the workers here have had an impact on me. They encouraged me to do a hospital stay for my eating disorder which I wouldn’t have done otherwise because I’m such a procrastinator.  Things turned around when I started to listen to the CV4 workers’ suggestions. Sometimes you just need to listen and let it soak in.

I now have a job where I have good friends and a supportive manager, and I was just promoted to ‘Keyholder’ which means I have keys to the store, count cash, and help to direct staff. I love science and I have plans to be a phlebotomist, the person who draws blood for testing. In my past when I was an addict, I was talented with needles and I want to turn this bad part of my history into something better.

I now feel like there is a point to my life, I’ve had a behavioural and mindset change, and I’m on the right track to doing what I want to do.  I’ve learned to be patient and to understand other people’s perspective instead of getting angry at them.

-Brittney lives in Concordia Village 4, known as CV4, one of Eden’s supportive housing residences.

I started my mental health journey with Recovery of Hope after an extended stay in the psychiatric ward in southern Manitoba. They wouldn’t let me go home until I had a plan, so I reluctantly contacted ROH and I was not disappointed. I met Lynda approximately 4 years ago, and she has become my Shannon-whisperer. She honestly has taught me so many things about myself and changed my life. I don’t know where I would be without her. I have never been disappointed, and I have never been let down.

Right now, I am dealing with the death of my brother from stage-4 metastasized colorectal cancer. I am once again seeing her weekly to try to make sense of his end of life. I wouldn’t be able to take care of my brother without all that I have learned from Lynda over the past four years. And I wouldn’t have the strength to deal with all the pain that comes from a significant loss of family. I am beyond grateful for the services available from Recovery of Hope. The front desk, the administration, the counsellors – everyone is professional, kind, and gracious for those of us in crisis. They have made me believe in my life and my future and I thank them daily.

-Donations help fund Recovery of Hope’s sliding fee scale to make counselling affordable for those on limited income.

We all have a story to share!  Sharing mine did not come easy at first. In 2012 I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder.  For me this was a very dark time in my life.  Coming from a strong family history of mental illness, growing up as a child was hard to see my father struggle with his bi-polar mental illness.

Prior to my 2012 diagnosis, I remember scheduling vacation time from work. During those two weeks off my intention was “to fix myself“.  I had trouble sleeping, and more and more I could not stop my mind from racing.   Drowning in fear and false hope I slowly began to realize this isn’t going to go away.   I needed to make one of the hardest phone calls I ever made. I phoned the Mental Health Crisis line.  “Are you suicidal?” I was asked. “No, I am not suicidal”.  But I am hurting badly and I understand and recognize the signs of mental illness in myself…… I was then told that someone was going to phone me shortly. A very kind woman from Community Mental Health returned my cry for help. From that point on, in 2008 she became my mental health counsellor. She was a safe place to voice my anxieties and worries, provided me with tools, and introduced cognitive behavior skills and more.  My diagnosis at that time was depression.  In the following years to come, a falling out with a friend triggered a manic episode.

Looking back at 2012 I am grateful for my time spent at Eden Mental Health Center. A total of 2 ½ months as an in-patient, where I had good days and extremely difficult ones.   During my stay being able to go outside was my refuge.  Walking on the grounds admiring the colorful flowers, majestic trees, listening to birds, and being on the swing. Nature is so therapeutic.  Inside I enjoyed journaling, participating in the programs such as painting, group therapy, music and choir gospel songs on Sunday.  Some days I would pass a mirror and not even recognize myself. “I just want OUT of here”. However that very same day as I read my journal entry; at that moment, I was having the best day of my life!!   My immediate family, my mom, my siblings, friends and relatives who visited me, warmed my heart. Never judging me, only embracing where I was at. Other patients at Eden soon became my friends, helping each other out. My hubby was, and is my rock. He just listened over and over again, heard me and supported my every high and low.  When I kept crying, he silently kept holding me in his arms. As the Dr. needed to assess my progress, my hubby sat at those discussions. When he was asked for his opinion on my progress, he was able to share valuable information.  My hubby visited me almost every single day.  Eden has a lot of good doctors, staff and important information can be obtained.  The meals at Eden were great but mostly the staff serving it were very kind and caring. Even the cleaning staff were very caring when they would walk into my room.

Today, some days are harder than others, and I can sometimes get depressed. I pray a lot and always have, which helps me, but I know to reach out when I need. I hope that I do not have to go back, but I would if I had to. It was really good for me to be there, I needed to be there as hard as it was. I can now say it was the best thing that happened to me. Another thing I am grateful for is that my friend and I have reconciled and have been spending and enjoying time together.

Dr. Dyck was my psychiatrist during my stay and he still sees me every few months since I left Eden.  Thank you for the art of listening, caring and especially administering the exact medication needed and following up with blood work on a regular basis.  I am hoping my story can help someone.  Be kind to yourself, try not to let fear or shame stop you from seeking help.  Lastly, for me, I believe taking my meds every day (non-negotiable) improving my diet, counselling, and self-Love coach can go hand in hand. Take the next right step for you.

Spending time with our grandkids, and being grateful every day is the cherry on top!

-Eden Mental Health Centre Patient

Before coming into contact with Eden, my life was very unbalanced. In December of 2022 I went off my meds. Even though it was with the doctor’s permission, I had no support and I had a lot of wonky thoughts and didn’t have anybody to talk to and keep me in check. So I went off into left field and had to go to Eden. At that time I was very religiously minded, very hard on myself, and under extreme worry and anxiety. I was wounded emotionally and it affected my mental health. This was the beginning of my health improvement – body and mind.

My journey of learning was to let go of anxieties and learning to be loved and valued. It was like a candle with layers of wax – the candle was all the fears and anxieties. But since December 2022 the wax has been melted off. Now, it’s the best time of my life – I feel like I can be calm and at peace. Before, I was listening to ‘the voice of God’ but I was taking it to too much of an extreme, not balancing it with wisdom and life, or walking in love to discern if the voice is wisdom or not.

I am thankful for workers, nurses, chaplain, and the staff at Linden Place. I would chat for hours about my journey and they would listen with an open mind and make me feel loved and valued. I’ve experienced wisdom from staff and miracles from God, and I feel balance from this. My mental health victory comes from the wisdom of staff, and God helps me, too. I have had a lot of character development in that time on both the mental health and spiritual levels.

I’ve gotten along well with every staff person I’ve talked to, and many of them say this is the best job they’ve ever had. When people love their job, it overflows into care for people. Every person I’ve been under the care of loves their jobs. And when someone loves their jobs they’re amazing at it.

My days are very structured here. I’ve been able to keep my room clean all the time, it’s very rewarding. I feel like I’m accomplishing something and I feel great if I have a structured day. It keeps my mental health stable and balanced. I’ve learned how to use my phone to benefit me to organize my day and put my activities in there to help me to remember.

After 10-12 years of my mental health journey I feel I have a beautiful, bright future – so bright, I have to squint to look at it. I want to travel Canada, and I want to help people on their mental health journey and give them hope. My experiences, even the bad ones, shape what I am today. I have learned you can take ashes and turn them into diamonds, with a lot of hard work.

God doesn’t give up on me, and other people need to know it.

-Resident of Eden Housing in Winkler

I am a client of Recovery of Hope, specifically an income subsidized client, since 2021. I am only 41, but I have been on CPP disability since 2018.  I have had the great privilege of being approved for the sliding scale fee for my therapy with my counsellor.  The sliding scale fee that Recovery of Hope/Eden Health Care Services has provided me has meant the world to me.  It has meant the ability to access high quality mental health care in a timely manner. 

Being on CPP disability, I receive very little per month.  By the time I pay my subsidized rent, car insurance and health insurance, I have exceeded what CPP provides me each month.  I haven’t even factored in the cost of food, my cell, over the counter medication, gas, etc. I am single, never married, and that is all the income I receive. I am living off my life savings to pay for everything. I was so grateful for the sliding scale fee that Recovery of Hope/Eden Health Services provided because I did not have the ability to pay.

When I started therapy at Recovery of Hope, I was so sick, my illnesses were so new, I was experiencing trauma as a victim of sexual assault and the trials were just starting. Everything was hitting me all at once.  I was so grateful that I had the ability to access therapy once a week or once every second week.  I needed help so bad, and my therapist at Recovery of Hope was my lifeline to get through it all. I really needed someone in my life that I could share with, get guidance/advocacy from, and lean on during this very difficult time.

My doctors kept on saying, “go get therapy, and we’ll try our best on our side. You need to work on coping skills, and you need someone to talk to, because of all this significant trauma in your life.” What my doctors and the public do not realize, is that access to mental health care is a luxury and not a right.  And that is why Recovery of Hope’s subsidized sliding fee scale program is so crucial. 

“If this program did not exist,” the impact to me would be great suffering, to the point of considering taking my own life, because I would have no one to help me, no one to listen to me, no one to care for me, no one to help guide and advocate for me, no one to have faith and belief in me, no one.  Accessing mental health is a luxury item for those that are disabled, that are low-income or no-income, and that are dealing with mental health issues.  If you are wealthy, then you can afford help.  But if you aren’t, then what?

I think to myself, “if this program didn’t exist, what impact would it have on me?”  The impact would be, I would have never had the privilege to work with such an experienced counsellor.  I would have not known the kindness and humanity of others out there trying to help the less fortunate and the disabled.  The impact would most likely be me deteriorating from mental/physical health issues; falling more into addiction; having to take out loans or use personal lines of credit that I could not pay back to pay for expensive privatized therapy; and more than likely a good chance of me ending my life.  You can measure the success of your subsidized sliding scale fee, by knowing you have saved so many lives.  How much is a life worth?  I think a lot.  By providing this sliding scale therapy service, you are saving the lives and lessening the suffering of the disabled, of the poor and of those that are in great need.  I don’t think you can put a price tag on that.  

I hope donors, or investors, or grant providers, realize that they are investing in people, in peoples’ well being and giving the gift of mental/physical health when they provide aid to sliding scale agencies.  They make a significant impact in each client’s lives, and that has an incredible life-long lasting effect.  It is money so well spent. 

Thank you for reading my letter.  I hope Recovery of Hope/Eden Health Care Services continues to receive funding to provide sliding scale fee therapy to the disabled, lower/no income clients.  God Bless you all and thank you.

Sincerely, 

-Recovery of Hope sliding fee scale client