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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 20, 2013 · 12 r FREE o f w o n r Registe SSO helps families cope Continued from page 4 87 off % ACTIVE WagJag up to $49 for 25 Zumba or boot camp classes at No Limits Martial Arts ($375 value) Or $29 for 10 ACTIVE WagJag 54% off 60 off % Brought to you by $69 for an 8-week Twinkle Tots program from Dancers Burlington ($149 value) 46% off 50 off % $25 for a Belgian truffle making kit from Craft My Chocolate ($46 value) - Shipping included ACTIVE WagJag $25 for a ticket to see The Pearl Fishers on Tuesday March 12 at 8 pm at Opera Hamilton ($62 value) ACTIVE WagJag $10 for $20 towards lunch or dinner at Abbey Arms Pub & Resttaurant "One day I woke up and I just started hearing all this talking (in my head). It was this woman and I didn't know who she was and I was so confused. I didn't know what was happening to me," said Mahoney. "I started feeling like people were watching me all the time," he said, explaining he believed he was threatened through a religion. "They were monitoring my thoughts. I felt like I couldn't go anywhere safely." As difficult as the experience was for Mahoney, it was even more so for his family members who had no idea what was happening to him or how to handle it. Mahoney's mother Angela Rea-Mahoney said she remembers her son yelling things at her that made no sense. She would tell him what he was experiencing was not real, but this would only frustrate Mahoney. "To me, it felt as real as anything else I have experienced in my life," said Mahoney. "I felt like nobody knew what was happening to me." Mahoney said the experience became especially frightening when he started hearing three voices in his head at the same time. Each voice, he said, would run him down or tell him people were plotting to hurt him. After multiple hospitalizations, Mahoney was eventually placed on a medication, which elimi- nated the hallucinations and delusions and significantly reduced the paranoia he was experiencing. Rea-Mahoney said the SSO was instrumental in helping her cope with her son's condition. "As parents, we didn't understand what was going on. Was it regular teenaged angst or transition to Grade 9?" she asked. "We reached out into the community and found SSO and hooked ourselves into some parent groups and family groups. Without that, I don't know how we would have gotten through this. We didn't know what to do, we didn't have anyone to talk to about this and that group gave us people who could talk about all stages of a family member's illness." Today, Mahoney is back in school, has a job and wants to help others struggling with the illness that nearly destroyed him. He is now attempting to organize a Disable the Label campaign at his school. The campaign would raise awareness of mental illness and mental health in general. The yogathon will host a children's yoga class along with others featuring various yoga types and studios, including: Inspire Yoga, Pure Serenity, Free Spirit Yoga, Kula, Shunyata Yoga and Sun Yoga. For more information, visit www.yogathon.ca or call 905-338-2112. A free lunch will be provided during the yogathon. HAVE QUESTIONS? CALL 1-855-4WAGJAG