Mental health was the topic of this year’s UNBC Legacy Breakfast at the Northern Sport Centre on Monday.
The guest speaker was acclaimed TSN journalist Michael Landsberg who spoke about his public battle with depression.
He says it’s time we classify mental health as a medical emergency as it’s robbing the quality of life for Canadians.
“If I say to you that I have not lived, I have not been alive and I have not felt anything for a year or maybe even two years and you tell me you can get me in to see somebody in nine months, that is an emergency because my loss of quality of life is an emergency.”
.@heylandsberg says being diagnosed with depression & anxiety is the worst thing that’s happened to him, but believes his struggle could also be someone else’s ‘life medicine’ | #CityOfPG #TWolvesBreakfast pic.twitter.com/mv3gdntAUc
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) February 19, 2018
Landsberg adds people need to do a better job of sharing the message around mental health to eliminate the stigma once and for all.
“If they share a little bit with others and have a better understanding than you know what? maybe they can spread it, someone who can spread it to someone else because it really is the opposite of a virus, no one wants to catch a virus but the whole sharing thing that can be contagious we all need to catch.”
The longtime broadcaster is also the founder of the Sick Not Weak Mental Health Community and was amazed by the number of people in the crowd who have been touched by mental illness.
“I’d say of the 450, 425 raised their hands, I mean I didn’t see any hands that weren’t up but I assumed they were there. Well, think about that, that is massive if this were a virus you would oh my gosh, this virus is rampant and yet we still don’t talk about it.”
The proceeds from the breakfast support athletic scholarships at UNBC, last year’s event raised over $54,000.
.@UNBCATHLETICS share video of causes they committed to during the 2017-18 season before the 450 audience members this AM | #CityOfPG #TWolvesBreakfast pic.twitter.com/GnyUvzxADd
— My Prince George Now (@mypgnow) February 19, 2018
– with files from Kyle Balzer, My Prince George Now.
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