17/04/2025
“Today, we pause. Not with a period, but with a semicolon — because the story isn’t over.”
April 16 is Project Semicolon Day, a movement honouring those living with mental illness, those we’ve lost to su***de, & those still fighting in silence.
Mental health isn’t always visible, but numbers speak loudly:
1 in 4 Canadians will experience symptoms of a mental illness.
Over 4,500 Canadians die by su***de each year — that’s 12 people a day.
Su***de is the 2nd leading cause of death among 15–34 yr olds
More than 1/2 of Canadians reported worsening mental health during the pandemic.
3 in 4 su***des are men (8 per day)
(Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Mental Health Association, Centre for Su***de Prevention, Heads Up Guys)
This day isn’t about statistics — it’s about stories.
The ones we keep private. The ones that hurt. The ones that continue.
Today, I choose to share my story in hopes that it will give hope to others
On the outside, my life looked perfect. I had a Loving husband, 2.5 kids (1 boy, 1 girl, 1 fur), a beautiful house and loving friends.
If you asked me on the street I would smile and say I was good.
On the inside, it was not so perfect.
I lived with the story that "it's not ok to not be ok!"
So I didn't ask for help, I kept pushing through, until I couldn't get out of bed. I had 2 children, so I pushed more.
Who was I to complain when others had it worse?
My family got tired of hearing how tired I was, so I stopped telling them.
My husband worked away for weeks at a time and I was struggling emotionally and then physically. My body began to shut down, but according to the doctors I was fine.
An active 32 year old and not able to walk up a flight of stairs without being breathless is not FINE.
Stabbing pains in my stomach so tormenting I spend days at a time on the bathroom floor, NOT FINE.
Joint pain in my feet, hands and back, heart palpitations, inability to be in the sun and extreme exhaustion were daily occurrences.
My inner critic got so vicious, yet I couldn't ask for help. I couldn't let people see I didn't have it all together. The shame of not being able to contribute to my family monetarily was crushing.
I suffered in silence for 4 years before getting antidepressants. It took 8 more years of counselling, life coaching and a 28 day stay in a trauma center for me to get back to functioning 90%.
The missing pieces, finding out I had:
-Complex PTSD
- An attachment style that conflicted with my husband's
- No boundaries
-No ability to regulate my nervous system out of fight or flight.
Now I get to bring those missing pieces to light for others.
So check in often on your loved ones, really listen without trying to fix.
Let’s keep talking. Let’s keep listening. Let’s keep writing our stories.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone:
📞 Talk Su***de Canada is available 24/7 at 1-833-456-4566.
Your story isn’t over.
hashtag hashtag hashtag ***dePrevention
