09/29/2026
I’m not selling anything, I just wanted to share a little something with you guys today. September is National Su***de Prevention Month. I also want to acknowledge that it’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation tomorrow.
First Nations (especially men) are 3.7x more likely to die by su***de than non-indigenous people. As many of you know, I am indigenous and I have two little boys myself. When I look at them, I wonder what if they didn’t have a strong support system? What if our family was being ravaged by drugs or alcohol and that’s all these little boys knew and called family.
I spoke about this before but if you didn’t know, I went to school to be a social service worker. It’s a privilege to walk amongst professionals and at the same time help those who are struggling using knowledge gained from my education and experiences. But I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I been asked why I hangout with some of the people that I do. “You know they do drugs right?” Yeah, and so have I. “You know they did this and that right?” And people don’t change and get better?
I couldn’t care less what your opinion is of who I choose to spend my time with.
With those same people, I’ve sat in hospitals for hours because they were suicidal, I’ve gone through and read treatment intake forms 30 pages long, helped a person start thinking about back up plans and now they’re looking at colleges, interpreted medical language for someone who didn’t know what it all meant, referred people to emergency programs, broke things down and explained intake forms section by section and because I’m pretty well versed in how the system works, have been able to help make things happen for people utilizing keywords and relaying important, relevant information. Not many people realize how far that can get you.
Sometimes, I find myself being the main support system for friends and family and again, what a privilege and honour it is to be that person for them.
I’ve opened up my home to people because their house isn’t a good environment, I’ve taught people how to dye socks, go skate and lately, make lighter cases and magnets because I believe that having hobbies can help keep our minds off of the crap we deal with everyday until we are stable enough to address those struggles. Sometimes it’s complete silence, other times it’s giggles, jokes and stories being told that may not have ever been told out loud otherwise, had I chose judgement over kindness and understanding. These people aren’t “too dangerous to be around”. They’re my literal family and friends. I’ve seen miracles happen and I’ve been in those same shoes, desperately searching for help.
I didn’t always have the mental health knowledge that I have now and have lost people by not reaching out or saying the things I could have. It’s part of the reason I went into my profession. I was sick of losing people because I was too afraid to ask the important questions.
I’m not selling anything today, but it cost $0 to be kind to someone who’s struggling. So if you’re going to buy anything today, please put your $0 towards something special and ask your friends or family how they’re doing. Check on your Indigenous friends, stop by the Mohawk Institute (One of the biggest residential schools in Canada) tour it and learn something, it’s right here in Brantford, Ontario. Become someone who understands, be a friend.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask the scary questions because that person may just be waiting for someone to finally see them reaching for help.
Happy Tuesday.
To my friends and family,
Love you always,
Marissa.
