Through open, judgment-free dialogue, we can remove the stigma of mental health. Michaela Kearney is a Quell scholar alum, a Quell Junior Board member, and featured in our documentary “Lift the Mask – Portraits of Life with Mental Illness.” Ever since I was a little girl, I chased Marshall. There was something about him […]
Category: Stories
Avery’s
Story
I am a proud third generation immigrant. My grandparents emigrated from India to England then finally landed in Canada. Like most cookie cutter immigrant stories they wanted to alter the course of their lives, and more importantly their children’s’ lives, in favor of better opportunity. They worked factory jobs well below their skill level and […]
Kevin’s
Story
Depression does not discriminate. In 2012, Kevin Lynch learned this the hard way. That year, Kevin’s 26-year-old son was released from a maximum-security prison, where he spent six years in isolation for behaviors consistent of a person with un-medicated mental health diagnosis. To get his son back on track, Kevin agreed they would go back […]
Dennis’
Story
Imagine your child asking if you would like him to leave a note before he commits suicide. That’s the conversation that Liz Charpentier and her son Dennis had in 2015. After years of battling bipolar disorder, OCD, autism, anxiety, bulimia, drug addiction, psychosis, and other mental health conditions, Dennis, just 21 years old, didn’t want to […]