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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, March 3, 2016 | 14 Say `I can' and `I will' and start to take control today: Barbe continued from p.9 "I felt so alone... Who else has been shot twice? There was no one I could talk to and I used to get so scared," said Barbe. "That fear drove me to make bad choices... PTSD lied to me and told me I wasn't good enough to live and a year after the shooting I tried to take my own life." Barbe said he planned to jump to his death, but was intercepted by two police officers before he could go through with it. A month in a hospital psychiatric ward followed, and while Barbe was no longer deeply depressed when he left, he was still troubled. This changed when he became motivated to help others after his father played Martin Luther King Jr.'s last speech during a long car ride the pair was taking. Barbe said something inside clicked after hearing that speech. Within a month, Barbe had built Think Don't Shoot and had started telling people his story. He has since spoken with millions and written a book through a National Publishing House called Slaying the Dragon, which outlines his story of hope and survival. One of Barbe's main messages was every choice someone makes has a ripple effect and he called on students to remember this as they go through high school. He spoke about the youth who shot him and said the choices that young man made devastated not just Barbe's life, but the lives of his family with both his parents losing their jobs and nearly their home as they comforted their son through his recovery process. Choosing to bully someone, Barbe said, can also have devastating consequences that people do not intend and he called on those present to work to make that troubling part of school life, history. He said making the right choices could have positive consequences, stating luck is something you create and comes from being positive and from hard work. Barbe called on the youths present to think of their futures and how they wanted their lives to turn out. He urged them to make the right choices and try to get the most out of their schooling so those lives could be built on a good foundation. Barbe said everyone has anxieties, little voices in their heads that say `You can't do this' or `You won't succeed at that' or `This won't work.' He said those voices lie and they have to be countered. "You know what I say back? Two things. `I can' and `I will,'" said Barbe. "When I wake up on the wrong side of the bed I say, `I can' and `I will.' When something bad happens to me I say, `I can' and `I will.' You have to do it every single day and it starts right now.... This is the only way to take control." For more information on Leo Barbe, visit www.thinkdontshoot.com. Leo Barbe www.partyrockers.ca VIDEO HEARING DANCE AID SPECIAL FUNDRAISER *Some Conditions Apply (Clients portion) follow us on instagram @ partyrockerscanada FOR STUDENTS AGES 10-13 FUNDRASSER FOR LOCAL YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS Up to 3 Year Service Warranty HOME VISITS AVAILABLE $295 Latest Technology In Hopedale Mall, next to the CIBC 1515 Rebecca Street, Unit 38, Oakville 60 DAY GUARANTEE: FREE Hearing test · Age 55+ www.hearingclinicgroup.com ALL REQUEST MUSIC GAMES PICTURES GLOW-IN-THE-DARK SNACK BAR PRIZES tickets sold at the do0r only TO ADvANCE TICkETS SOLD pARENTS ONLY AT 5pm E 1469 NOTTINGHILL GATE, OAkvILL glen abbey united church 7pm - 10pm Admission $12 view pictures don't miss the next dance - saturday march 12 make requests fun, safe, adult supervised follow us Hopedale Hearing Clinic 905-827-7333 2376 Parkhaven Blvd, Oakville 2376 Parkhaven Blvd, Oakville · 905-257-5880 905-257-5880 maximekitchens.ca maximekitchens.ca