The care Renaud received completely changed his life, and changed our family’s life.
“I remember getting a call from the principal. I was in a meeting. Things weren’t going well with Renaud. I told him I’d talk to my son that evening. He said, ‘No, this can’t wait.’ I left work in a panic. Renaud was in pieces. We’d hit a wall.”
Renaud was in Grade 8, and his parents were shocked to learn that their son had to be admitted to the Hospital’s child psychiatry day centre. It all started in Grade 7. Panic attacks. Lack of self-confidence. Performance anxiety. Dependent relationships. Dark thoughts. Things were going from bad to worse until the day the school sent them to Emergency.
Renaud admits that if he had not immediately been taken into care for his anxiety, he doesn’t know where he’d be today. Possibly on the verge of dropping out. But then: psychological testing, therapy, academic support. Renaud learned how to cope with the challenges of daily life. And his parents, once at a complete loss, learned how to find the right words. It was a very challenging period, but a necessary one. So much so that Normand decided to make a major donation to help other young people like Renaud overcome their difficulties.
Every day, every month, every year that passes and that we don’t intervene medically to help a young person in crisis comes at an enormous cost. For the young person in distress. For society.
Your support was even more vital this year with the increase in demand for mental health support due to the pandemic. Thanks to you, young people found the tools they needed in time to lead a healthy life and to avoid even more serious problems.
