For the last month, as Coquitlam’s Mayor was fighting for
re-election he was also fighting to get his 23 year-old daughter the
mental health help she needed.
“About a month ago she succumbed to the worst episode of depression anxiety and personality mood disorder that she’s had.”
Now the election is over, Richard Stewart is willing to speak about
the nights he spend in the emergency ward – sleeping on the floor with
his daughter waiting for admission while campaign emails and voice mails
piled up.
“Parts of the week I don’t remember. You know, running to
an all candidates meeting and then back to the hospital and managing –
for that matter just ignoring – the campaign we were in because my role
as dad was way more important than, you know, as politician.”
He says it is because of his daughter that his is speaking publicly now.
“Vanessa is in many ways my hero. She absolutely knows
that the way you cut through the stigma of mental illness is by talking
about it.”
Stewart says he’s optimistic that one day soon we will talk about mental illness like we do about a broken leg or diabetes.
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