Pay It $4ward - Our Youth Matter!
Donation protected
I'm posting this campaign for a youth in our community that needs OUR help. For the last 3.5 years this youth has been confined to his home, mostly the bedroom. This youth was forced to remove himself from school because each day was a struggle...a struggle to simply make it out the door and eventually he just could not do it anymore.
There have been multiple suicide attempts...and thankfully, none of those have been successful. The most recent attempt was September 19, 2016 (yesterday) and he has now been admitted to hospital. This youth is not on any medications because his family physician is uneasy about prescribing due to a frightening incident. While on the medication he had been prescribed, this youth was hearing voices, not knowing where he was and this ultimately resulted in a 3 day stay in the intensive care unit where he lay unconscious.
Now that he has been admitted to hospital, we know what's going to happen...he will be prescribed some medication and sent home to the isolation he knows as his life. No hope in site for a grade 12 diploma, no hope in site for a job or career....just home, laying in bed and wanting to die.
Back in May, I was startled by the number of suicides in our community. A common theme accross the board was that nobody is listening to our youth...nobody is hearing their cries. While things have gotten better (I think), it's still happening. When I opened the facebook page "Youth Suicide Prevention in Woodstock Ontario" I had no idea how it would blow up with members. It seems that I wasn't the only one that didn't understand what was going on. It's through this facebook page that I met this youth, my friend. To my knowledge he has not reached out to anyone else, and remains closed off to the family that loves him and feels helpless.
Today, I feel helpless for this youth, so I started making some calls. I called Homewood Health that has an inpatient program for patients experiencing mental health issues. This program is 58 days long and comes at a cost of $305 per day. What does that work out to you ask? $17,690. Through the past 5 months, I have made it my mission to stand behind our youth and believe in them. Today, I am advocating for this boy....and I won't stop until we can raise these funds to get him the help he needs. I'm done being REACTIVE! I don't want to be the one to post on facebook that we lost him to suicide.
For more than 130 years, the Homewood Health Centre has been a cornerstone of Canadian mental health and addiction treatment. Located in Guelph, Ontario, the Homewood Health Centre is one of the largest mental health and addiction facilities in Canada and is unique in Canadian healthcare serving as a specialized provincial and national resource as well as providing essential regional services for residents of Guelph and Wellington County. A fully accredited facility, the Health Centre achieves the highest standards of care, and is a recipient of numerous national awards.
I am asking each and every one of you to please consider making a contribution so we can send this boy to Homewood....he deserves a life, a quality life outside the home where he can be happy and thriving member of society. I don't care if it's $1 or $100, every single bit counts. These funds will go directly to Homewood Health once he is admitted, and we can provide proof of that to ensure the community knows they have truly helped to make a difference. Please consider saving this boys life.
I'm sure everyone can appreciate the sensitivity of this situation, especially given the most recent attempt being yesterday. I will be providing regular updates...and hopefully at some point, this youth may formally introduce himself....maybe once he knows it's okay, to not be okay.
GoFundMe is a reputable collection method and I can assure you I have used it before. If you do a search for Woodstock Ontario, you will see other campaigns that have collected thousands of dollars and are reputable.
If you are not comfortable donating via this site, many have sent interac email transfers to [email redacted] and I have also picked up donations from some. I plan to set up an account to allow for complete transparency with any donations made outside of this site.
Thank you for your time.
There have been multiple suicide attempts...and thankfully, none of those have been successful. The most recent attempt was September 19, 2016 (yesterday) and he has now been admitted to hospital. This youth is not on any medications because his family physician is uneasy about prescribing due to a frightening incident. While on the medication he had been prescribed, this youth was hearing voices, not knowing where he was and this ultimately resulted in a 3 day stay in the intensive care unit where he lay unconscious.
Now that he has been admitted to hospital, we know what's going to happen...he will be prescribed some medication and sent home to the isolation he knows as his life. No hope in site for a grade 12 diploma, no hope in site for a job or career....just home, laying in bed and wanting to die.
Back in May, I was startled by the number of suicides in our community. A common theme accross the board was that nobody is listening to our youth...nobody is hearing their cries. While things have gotten better (I think), it's still happening. When I opened the facebook page "Youth Suicide Prevention in Woodstock Ontario" I had no idea how it would blow up with members. It seems that I wasn't the only one that didn't understand what was going on. It's through this facebook page that I met this youth, my friend. To my knowledge he has not reached out to anyone else, and remains closed off to the family that loves him and feels helpless.
Today, I feel helpless for this youth, so I started making some calls. I called Homewood Health that has an inpatient program for patients experiencing mental health issues. This program is 58 days long and comes at a cost of $305 per day. What does that work out to you ask? $17,690. Through the past 5 months, I have made it my mission to stand behind our youth and believe in them. Today, I am advocating for this boy....and I won't stop until we can raise these funds to get him the help he needs. I'm done being REACTIVE! I don't want to be the one to post on facebook that we lost him to suicide.
For more than 130 years, the Homewood Health Centre has been a cornerstone of Canadian mental health and addiction treatment. Located in Guelph, Ontario, the Homewood Health Centre is one of the largest mental health and addiction facilities in Canada and is unique in Canadian healthcare serving as a specialized provincial and national resource as well as providing essential regional services for residents of Guelph and Wellington County. A fully accredited facility, the Health Centre achieves the highest standards of care, and is a recipient of numerous national awards.
I am asking each and every one of you to please consider making a contribution so we can send this boy to Homewood....he deserves a life, a quality life outside the home where he can be happy and thriving member of society. I don't care if it's $1 or $100, every single bit counts. These funds will go directly to Homewood Health once he is admitted, and we can provide proof of that to ensure the community knows they have truly helped to make a difference. Please consider saving this boys life.
I'm sure everyone can appreciate the sensitivity of this situation, especially given the most recent attempt being yesterday. I will be providing regular updates...and hopefully at some point, this youth may formally introduce himself....maybe once he knows it's okay, to not be okay.
GoFundMe is a reputable collection method and I can assure you I have used it before. If you do a search for Woodstock Ontario, you will see other campaigns that have collected thousands of dollars and are reputable.
If you are not comfortable donating via this site, many have sent interac email transfers to [email redacted] and I have also picked up donations from some. I plan to set up an account to allow for complete transparency with any donations made outside of this site.
Thank you for your time.
Organizer
Gail Bradfield
Organizer
Woodstock, ON