GINTA – Nice hashtag but are we going to keep talking about mental health?
I HAVE A HARD TIME peeling myself away from the book I am reading to focus on this column. The book is called From the Ashes, and it is written by Jesse Thistle, presently an assistant professor of Metis Studies at York University in Toronto.
The path that led him to where he is today, though… okay, I will not spoil it for you. I am three quarters done and have shaken my head and winced more times than I could count since I started reading it. I had heard him sharing his story on the radio a couple of years ago while driving with my eldest to Harper Mountain. I wished then he’d write about it. He did.
The story made my son and I quiet. We listened and talked about it for days. Sobering is barely the word to characterize the after-feeling. Among countless heartbreaking events of his life, Mr. Thistle was incarcerated and that’s where his story, many other people’s stories and a recent social campaign intersect.
Daniela Ginta is a mother, scientist, writer and blogger. She can be reached at daniela.ginta@gmail.com, or through her blog at http://www.thinkofclouds.com.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
I love this thought provoking article….it reminded me of a time when a friend was trying to find a way to give “One free phone call to a family member!” to clients of Ask Wellness or anyone who would want to call someone…she attempted to sell the idea as “maybe for mother’s day” The idea did not gain any ground. But I often wonder how much a call might help either parties..the Mother who doesn’t know where or how their “child” is or the no longer “child” who needs maybe one or two words. How much would the program actually cost? Is it mental health? I think it is. Maybe fly it under Bell’s let’s talk???