Although 'A Healing Walk' in Morley was postponed by a week, roughly 75 people still came together to support, bring awareness and stop the silence on a growing epidemic.

For the past few years, the Morley community has held a walk in honour of those that have passed as well as offer support and resources to families and friends left behind.

Tanya Kang, Mental Health Therapist for the Morley area, shares the organizations that came together to host the event were pleased with how the day turned out. "Overall we thought that the people who needed to be there were there. We heard a lot of good feedback from people who thought parts of it were really powerful. They liked the Healing Hoop, hearing the Elders talk, Krista Hunter when she was speaking about suicide and the stigma (in the Stoney language), and some of the personal stories were very moving and powerful."

Starting the conversation and sharing stories is the first step to healing, says Kang. "A lot of people don't share their stories; suicide is hard to talk about in general but especially when you take in cultural considerations and how people were raised."

For Kelsey Holloway, a lifetime Morley resident, this event was a first for her and she was happy to see something like this take place in the community. "I was really glad to see something like this being done in the community. I had no awareness about what they were about, so it was good to see what the community had to offer."

Opening up and sharing her own story, Holloway added a very personal touch to the event. Losing her partner and father of her children to drugs and suicide, Holloway says it's time to start talking as it could change everything. "I think it's important because most of us are going through those kinds of thoughts. It's a scary thing to know that kids' as early as age 12 are starting to have those thoughts or feelings because of their household, surroundings or peers. A lot of my friends out here and families that I know are going through those things, thought of those things and I lost my kids' dad because of those things."

The journey for Holloway has not been an easy one. "I have no experience of being a counsellor nor do I have a certificate, but I have real life experience, I have gone through it and I know what it feels like. I drowned myself in alcohol and it led me to dark, heavy drugs because of something like that. I gave up so much and I was really thankful and glad my mother was there to tell me, it's not right. I left the community, I went to treatment, I got clean and since then... I have been."

Hoping this is just the beginning of more programs, events and open dialogue, Holloway, shares she would love to see resources offered after hours and often. "When everyone is off work and out of school that is when everything slows down and everything stops moving, that is when those waves come in and those thoughts hit you so hard and heavy. Even if there was an open building for a good hour or two so people could sit down and talk to each other because that is what we need to do, we need to communicate." 

The Healing Walk brought the community together and Holloway is hopeful, her words may help. "I am hoping someone can hear this because loss, drugs, and alcohol are all around us."

The Stoney Health Centre, Turning Point, as well as other partnering organizations are continually adding more programs, resources and educational opportunities to Morley residents and surrounding communities. Raising awareness on drugs, suicide, and mental health for all ages is a top priority and getting the word out to the community at large will remain a focus.