Paytons Promise
Donation protected
This is the face of mental illness. This was my daughter Payton’s 10th birthday and we were smack dab in the middle of trying to help her cope with crippling anxiety. This photo is how everyone outside our family saw her - happy, friendly, popular. The reality was she couldn’t make it a full day at school without having a panic attack, started to isolate from her friends and was consumed with feeling not good enough. She then stopped sleeping, couldn’t get out of bed and basic hygiene was a challenge. We were followed by her pediatrician who dismissed the issue and chalked it up to a phase. December of this same year, depression took the lead and she made her first suicide attempt.
- She was 10
- 277 days we waited for help knocking on as many doors as possible to get her help
- 17 different organizations were contacted but couldn’t help her because she was too young, we were not zoned for it, or they didn’t have the manpower
- 4 different medications, countless ER visits for self-harming, dark thoughts and suicide attempts
- 3 diagnoses - depression, anxiety and anorexia
- 37 private therapy sessions because Payton was not « sick enough » to be moved up to Priority level 1 in our public health system.
- 67 school days missed as her anxiety made it impossible for her to leave the house
During one of our hospital visits, as we waited to see the psychiatrist, I promised her that if she could find the will to work to live, we would find a way to help another child find the support they needed without hearing they were “not sick enough” to have access from our public health services. Payton was convinced that after all this time, nobody cared or believed her and was ready to give up.
This is where Paytons Promise was born.
When you are « not sick enough », you are transferred to your area to get follow up treatment. Anyone from the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area knows we have a shortage of healthcare workers, especially those specialized in mental health. It is difficult for adults but I can tell you it is next to impossible to find help for our children.
Myself and two of my friends are training to run an ultra-marathon at Bromont on October 7th, 2023. 55 km will be travelled by all of us. Myself, Cristina Capela and Alain Beaudoin - both of which have had firsthand experience with this crippling disease - want to raise money so that as many children as possible from the Vaudreuil Soulanges area, can benefit from private therapy, as we know we lack resources in our public system. Our initial goal is $25,000 and I hope we can raise even much more. Having the support of a psychotherapist can be life changing.
My good friend Isabelle Caron will be acting as our treasurer to ensure we use the funds as intended. Our goal is to work alongside local mental health organizations to provide support for those that need it. Isabelle works for the National Bank and has a solid reputation in our area.
We were provided with a miracle and Payton was accepted into an outpatient program at the Jewish Hospital in September 2021. They helped her discover tools to manage her mental illness. She bussed downtown and back (90 minute commute each way ) and attended for 9 months. She spent mornings in academics and afternoons in therapy. She is not « cured » and has good days and bad. She still self harms, gets pulled into darkness and has the suicide textline/hotline on speed dial. But we now have hope.
We all need to do better. This is our way of giving back to the children of our beautiful community and I thank my good friends for helping me raise awareness to the lack of services for our children.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for your generosity.
All our love,
Catherine and Payton,
Cristina and Alain ❤️
Payton’s Promise ultra-marathon team
Catherine Clements
Cristina Capela
Alain Beaudoin
Fundraising team: Payton’s Promise ultramarathon team (2)
Catherine Clements
Organizer
Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC
Colleen Comeau
Team member