Spread Love
Spread Love
Go see a therapist, like you see a dentist:
By Rachelle Cruz
“ I haven’t seen my sister Michelle for the last 3 years. And I’m not going to see my sister for the rest of my life, “ Joan Cordoba expressed as she began her speech.
“I could see that Michelle was in trouble and the only thing worse than watching it happen is not knowing what to do. I felt her slipping through my fingers and the next thing I knew, she was gone. I know that I can’t bring my sister back. But I can create awareness and encourage our society to speak up about it,” she continued.
MICHELLE CORDOBA
These were the words that Joan Cordoba shared at the Spread Love Event, a fundraising, mental health awareness campaign with CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) that she pulled together in memory of her sister Michelle Cordoba, who lost her battle with depression and addiction resulting in suicide in February 2011. Spread Love 2014 was a gathering of family, friends and supporters at the Story’s Building at 11 Duncan Street this past February 5. And despite the heavy snow and extreme weather alert, throngs of 160 guests shuffled in and created a warm gathering between silent auction prizes, from Max Mara, Holt Renfrew, Lulu Frost, Microsoft. There were cupcakes, food and wine, and an on-site photo booth.
While she drew inspiration from her sister’s death, mental health issue is something close to her heart as she admitted her own personal struggle with depression as well. After taking this Landmark education course called Self expression leadership program, Joan’s need to speak out and actively engage others in this dialogue to break the stigma associated with mental health runs deep, and with this community project, she hopes that the shame associated with mental health can be replaced with compassion and hope.
“I want us to talk about mental health issues the way we talk about cancer. I want there to be marathons in support of mental health just like there are marathons to find a cure for cancer because mental health issues are no different from cancer. They both eat you alive,” she emphasized.
JOAN CORDOBA AND CHEF CORBIN
“I’ve had conversations with many of you and I realize how close to home this is to many of us. There are a lot of people here that know what I’m talking about, either because you’ve gone through it yourself, you have lost a loved one or you are losing a loved one right now. And I know what that’s like. As a reaction to the pain and helplessness and hopelessness, you get numb, get resigned, go into denial and you suffer in silence,” she offered.
Maria Pimenta, one of Joan’s friends from high school attended the event because for her, it hits close to home, “I also suffered from depression on and off over the years, it’s an ongoing battle, it’s something that you go through every day,” she shared.
Pimenta reinforced the message that mental health issues should be talked about.
MARIA PIMENTA
“The stigma, mental health illness, depression, anxiety, whatever it may be, everybody starts using the word looney or crazy. And that I think has to stop so people can speak out. And if we keep getting judged, by everybody else and those names are being thrown out there, I think a lot of people start to become more reclusive rather than open up and talk about their problems and that’s the worst that can happen,” she said.
One of the invited speakers for the night, Paulette Walker also suffered with an ongoing struggle with cocaine addiction and alcohol abuse. But after a 20-year battle, she now works at CAMH as a Peer Support Worker and was a 2005 recipient of One of the Transforming Lives.
“I got here with support — the determination to change my life. I was ill for a very long time and I sometimes wonder how on earth did I get here – I got help with CAMH. I saw how I was treated, I just wanted to be a part of this community,” Walker said.
“The best thing I could do was to give back. I remember one day I was walking out of CAMH and the sun was shining on my face and I just felt so alive and I felt so blessed, and I said to myself I have to give this love back, I can’t keep it all to myself,” she said smiling.
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