With many deaths by suicide and tragic deaths in Wellington County within the last year or so, the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association has planned a community conversation featuring two national sports television personalities who will share their own stories of dealing with mental health issues.
Here4Hope is intended as a free one-time event that will be held Wednesday evening in response to a number of tragic losses experienced by the community in Wellington County and Guelph, said Helen Fishburn, acting executive director of CMHA Waterloo Wellington.
The event, which is being held at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex in Fergus, will include appearances by TSN personalities Michael Landsberg and Jennifer Hedger, who both speak publicly about their own struggles with mental health.
Fishburn said Landsberg is not shy when talking about the issue of mental health.
“He has been incredibly courageous about his own journey with mental health and actually talks about his darkest days,” said Fishburn. “He battles with depression every single day, even though he is a very successful journalist and has his own TV show.”
In 2013, Landsberg's documentary, Darkness and Hope: Depression, Sports and Me, earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination.
Fishburn said Hedger will share her own struggles with the postpartum depression she experienced after the birth of her child.
“She shares that story, which is not at all unusual, especially for really successful women,” said Fishburn.
She expects both speakers to be highly entertaining, as well as eye opening.
“It’s not going to be a heavy, depressing night. It’s going to be a night filled with hope, inspiration and some good entertainment,” said Fishburn.
About 500 spaces are available for the event. People wishing to attend are asked to reserve at the Here4Hope EventBrite page.
Bringing in sports television figures and holding the event at the Sportsplex was a conscious decision, said Fishburn, as some of the people affected by the tragedies were involved in sport.
“Our hockey community has had a really big hit from some of the deaths and tragedies, so it is really nice to have it in a home where hockey is embodied,” said Fishburn.
CMHA is not disclosing the exact number of deaths by suicide experienced in the community because it is worried about the contagion effect, in which reports of suicide can result in an increase in suicide and suicidal behaviour.
“We don’t want to let that be the story. We want the story to be about what we are doing about the tragedies,” said Fishburn.
The people in Wellington County who have died by suicide recently have been mostly male, between he ages of 16 and 45, said Fishburn.
The intention of Wednesday’s event is to show the community what supports are available and to ask residents to reach out to people in their lives who are in need.
“We need people to keep their eye out for their family members, for their neighbours, for their colleagues and the people on their hockey team — look around you, look at your networks and reach out to people you are worried about and connect with those people and let them know there is great help and services available to them if the need it,” said Fishburn.
CMHA wants to be able to reach out to people they are not currently engaged with or who they are not currently hearing from.
“The bulk of people who have unfortunately died have not been connected to our formal service system,” said Fishburn. “They have been out there quietly suffering in the darkness on their own, which is a real concern for us.”
Fishburn said she has been in contact with the local health integration network (LHIN) and met with local MPPs to express the need for more funding to reach out to people who are feeling helpless.
“We need to go out there and support them. That’s why the additional resources are required, to create the suicide post-vention team and reach people who are at really high risk but, for whatever reason, they are not able to call us or reach out,” said Fishburn.
