We like to assume that we support causes simply because it’s the right thing to do—and that can be true to an extent. But oftentimes, the decision to continue supporting a cause stems from the people we meet and the relationships we form over the course of our learning journey. Through these bonds, we start putting a human face to something we might otherwise only understand in statistics.
This was the case for Anja and Linda, two members of the BCIT Marketing Association Community Relations team who embarked on their own learning journeys when they started supporting the BC Schizophrenia Society Foundation (BCSS Foundation). Read more about why Anja and Linda are passionate about encouraging others to join BCSS Foundation at this year’s BMO RUN4HOPE.
Meet Anja:
I was thrilled to take on this opportunity to grow involved with the BCSS Foundation, and learn more research about how individuals are affected by schizophrenia. The BCSS Foundation provides immense help to families affected by schizophrenia and mental illnesses, which encouraged me to learn how I can help my loved ones. Over the years, I have become closer to many family and friends affected by mental illnesses who truly deserve supportive direction, but struggle to find the exact help they need. As supportive as I felt I was, it was never enough to get through to my loved ones as much as I had hoped.
Over the last few months, I’ve gained more knowledge of how individuals are affected each day – along with how I can be an even more supportive shoulder to lean on. The help provided by BCSS helped bring me closer to my family members who live with mental illness.
BCSS offers information and programs on how to be a more supportive family member, which anyone can take into consideration. And I now understand that I can participate in a variety of ways to recognize and support the many people and families affected by severe and persistent mental illness.
Through reading more Stories from BCSS Families, I was able to have better insight and relate to how families cope with a loved one affected by mental illnesses. I often felt lost in what else I could do for my family members, but now I’ve learned to connect with affected individuals in more impactful ways.
In the past, I felt my support was never enough, but BCSS has taught me about the impactful communities and resources that are available. Through their programs and services, BCSS has created a strong and supportive community, which is crucial for people seeking help. I am thankful to know more about the programs held at BCSS that can help the affected families.
After learning about and seeing firsthand how BCSS programs and services have helped families affected by mental illness, I am motivated to take action to help other families know that they are not alone… and that there is hope.
Meet Linda:
Schizophrenia is something I first read about in an introductory psychology textbook in high school. Surrounded by descriptions of other types of mental disorders, I read and understood as much as was necessary to do well in the upcoming midterm exam. As a teenager, I felt that schizophrenia was a muddy, distant concept. I might have read a list of symptoms, but I didn’t truly understand the extent to which a person’s life can be impacted by something like schizophrenia. After all, I’d never met anyone who has had it touch their lives.
That changed half a year ago. At first, helping BCSS was mostly a result of the desire to participate more actively in the communities around me. I was happy to help, but I would have felt that way with any non-profit organization our team decided to support.
However, that all changed when I met Guelda.
Until this moment, schizophrenia had remained a nebulous thought in my mind. It wasn’t a concept I had ever had reason to think about deeply. When I was younger, the word ‘schizophrenia’ conjured up an image of something akin to Jekyll and Hyde. But that wasn’t right. In hindsight, mainstream media seemed to have shaped my understanding of schizophrenia—by framing it negatively, often depicting schizophrenic individuals as ‘dangerous’.
So, I took a step back. And started to read more stories from the families and individuals affected by schizophrenia.
Guelda, BCSS Foundation Board Member can attest to the positive impact that BCSS has made for thousands of BC families – after all, her family was one of them. (You can read Guelda’s story here.) Guelda’s story reflects on the moment when Kai, her son, told her that “everyone could hear his thoughts.” Kai is a big animal lover. He cares deeply about his family, and as a kid, loved illustrating stories. And because of schizophrenia, he threw away all his belongings believing “that he had no choice but to be homeless.”
Understanding Kai’s perceptions of reality touched me, as did reading about Guelda’s family’s struggles to help him. This story doesn’t only depict Kai as an individual affected by schizophrenia, but someone like you or me. In Guelda’s story, and those from many others, the humanity of people living with schizophrenia shines through—something that textbooks and mainstream media do not often convey.
In the end, it’s one thing to read about the various ways schizophrenia can affect a person in a textbook, and something else entirely to experience these stories through the eyes of someone you know. It’s a subtle but meaningful difference. People living with schizophrenia behave the way they do based on the skewed perceptions of reality that result from a combination of brain chemistry, genetics, their environment, and a lack of treatment (at least according to the Mayo Clinic). And you can tell me that 1 in 100 Canadians are affected by schizophrenia, and I will sympathize and perhaps be surprised by the numbers. But when you tell me that the 1 in 100 Canadians affected by schizophrenia are like Kai, Guelda’s son, those numbers will come to life in meaningful ways.
When You Run for BC Schizophrenia Society Foundation, You Run for Hope
This May, join Anya, Linda, the BCSS Foundation, and community members across BC for the 2022 BMO RUN4HOPE either in-person and virtually. Or donate to the BCSS Foundation through the BMO RUN4HOPE — one of the easiest things that anyone can do to make a difference.
Together we can raise awareness about schizophrenia, “stomp out” the stigma, and fund crucial programs and services for families affected by schizophrenia and severe and persistent mental illness… helping people “find a reason to hope… and the means to cope.”
To learn more about the BC Schizophrenia Society Foundation, visit www.bcssfoundation.org.
Instagram: @bcschizophrenia
Twitter: @BCSchizophrenia
Facebook: @BCSchizophreniaSociety