Christian

Hi! my name is Christian Boily and I am a member at Pathways!

I had a normal life before. I was raised by a beautiful and healthy family. I went to university to become an art teacher and there was no history of mental illness in my family. I had completely a normal life with a lot of future and ambition to fulfill my life like the rest of my family and all normal people in society. Having a wife and children and being a true father and husband and accomplishing my goals in life were my priority.

One day, I decided to go into the forest as a lover of nature and spend some time. It was very quiet and peaceful place to be. Suddenly, I have been taken hostage by 2 criminals who escaped from maximum jail in Quebec City with machine guns, grenades, and bullet belts. They were extremely armed. And I did realize then that they were extremely dangerous people and they were extremely wanted criminals which all the police were looking for since their escape. Several days prior, the tv news stations, and newspapers were talking about these criminals who escaped from maximum jail. They kept me with them for several days. It was horrible. It was a big nightmare, and I was completely surrendered to them and did everything they wanted me to do…………it was hell….

Then I did end up with post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, panic attack disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder and ended up in a psychiatric hospital with those severe mental illness and could not function anymore in my life. I did not know what was happening. I was losing all my brain. I did lose everything that I had as well; I lost my wife. The custody of my own daughter. My place to live. All my friends around me. All contact of my family and I ended up living in the streets……..

I wanted to die….

One day, I was walking into Richmond city. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. Lost everything. Living my life totally empty and hopeless. It was such a dark place to be. I was walking into Richmond Centre Mall and saw that little pamphlet of Pathways Clubhouse and read it. They were mentioning that they specialize in the recovery of people with mental illness. And they were helping people like me to get back, having hope in life again! At the beginning, I was a skeptic regarding my state of my life. I was on the bottom of life and hopeless and weak and had very low self esteem. But I decided to go there and see if it is true.

From then, all my life have been changed dramatically. From the first visit at Pathways, I realized and I felt that there was TRUE HOPE for people with mental illness. I was NOT ALONE ANYMORE!! They gave me a tour of the Clubhouse and introduced me to the wonderful staff and explained to me all the programs and possibilities that were available to me. By recognizing me as a human being and what skills and talents I still possessed, they helped me redirect my life again and exploring the possibilities to be back in society again with my mental illness. And also to achieve goals that it is very crucial for a recovery for mental illness.

It was a family place for me where I felt comfortable being and was able to eat an affordable lunch every day of the week if I wanted to. They found me a place to stay with the help of their independent living program and I started right away to do volunteer work in different places in the city. It was a good feeling to do something again in society. By attending the Transitional Employment Program (T.E.P.) from the beginning, it really impacted my confidence and my self esteem. This program provided support to me and others in our journey of recovery by giving us an opportunity to share all together our testimonies and getting updates of what is available and possible for us!

Currently, I am involving people with mental illness in a music group therapy at the Coast mental health Team and I am giving art sessions at Pathways Clubhouse! I am so proud to be a part of Pathways and willing to keep achieving my goals with the help of all the members and staff and their programs!

Thank you PATHWAYS!!

PATHWAYS changed my life!