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W ednesday, M ay 17, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER FOURTH LINE AUTO For A li Your Car's Needs Drive Clean Emission Testing Government Safety Inspection Tune-Ups · Brakes · Exhaust ·Cooling Systems CAA Approved Shop 559 Speers Road 842-3001 In Business in Oakville Since 1979 OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR OF THE OAKVILLE WATERFRONT FESTIVAL Focus A, O dk^M e/ H IW a te rfro n t *F e s tiv a l/ E XP IR E S M A Y 10 7 0 0 1011 U p p e r M iddle R oad E a s t "U p p e r S t io p p m q C e n t r * (9 0 5 ) 3 3 7 8 5 2 2 Oakville Beaver Focus Editor: WILMA BL0KHUIS 845-3824 Ext: 250; Fax: 337-5567; Email: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com Margo Sinardi is living proof that suicide is not the answer Karen Robbins SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER What if? M argo Sinardi has dealt with depression since she was a teenager. However, during the summer of 1987, when she turned 40 years old, her depression raged out of control. The year started off on the right note. In May she got married; however, by August she was on anti depressants. Her medication didn't seem to be working; her psy chiatrist tried several different types of prescriptions that would work for a few weeks, but then cause her to sink even lower into depression. "I felt a total hopelessness," she said. "I didn' t think there was anything out there that could make me feel better - as far as pills - and I had fears about everything. I was afraid almost to go out of my house. There were times when I would hide in my walk-in closet" This emotional roller-coaster lasted for about two years. During that time, Sinardi attempted to kill her self three times. "It was really hell. The reason for the suicides was just escape because there was no escape other than when I was sleeping. I was afraid. I was afraid to go to sleep. I was afraid to get up in the morning. I was afraid to be by myself,. I was afraid of telephones. I was afraid of everything," she said. There were many things going on in Sinardi's life at that time. Besides the fact that she had gotten married, her niece died of meningitis and her dog was killed. "Part of what triggered it was there were just too many things that happened in a series of events that I couldn't handle - both good and bad - but I didn't have time to sort through it emotionally before something else would happen." The last suicide attempt was the most serious land ing Sinardi in the intensive care unit at Joseph-Brant Memorial Hospital. She remembers the date exactly: March 6, 1989. When she woke up in intensive care, she had a lot to deal with. "I was very angry when I realized that I hadn't suc ceeded. I was really mad at the world and I thought, 'Great, I've failed again at this."' Sinardi had to get over not only her mental and emotional problems, but also her physical weakness. The overdose of pills she took made her feel miserable and unhealthy for months. "I was at rock-bottom. One of the nurses that was assigned to me said, 'On a scale of one to ten how are you feeling' and I said, 'I think I'm minus four' and I meant it" She continued, "The thing is, I had determined to die. To not die means that you have to start coping with life again and I had absolutely no will to live. To come back from that is very difficult I thought I was going to begin a journey in another world and here I was in the same old world that I wanted so desperately to leave." Minardi said a turning point tor her was when a nurse said, "You know, if you keep doing this, you're going to succeed." That made her question if she really did want to die. "I don't think I did. I just didn't want to be living in the pain that I was living in," she said. Sinardi said the journey back to good health took a lot of time and support. She had to try to regain her credibility with her loved ones - her husband and her family - but she also had to regain trust in herself. She found out about a support group with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and decided to join - despite the bus trip she would have to take to get there. She began a weekly routine and slowly her attitude towards herself began to change. After being part of the group for a while, Leslie Henshaw, the Community Public Education Worker at the Oakville branch of the CMHA, suggested Sinardi join the board. "She had the approach that everything happens for a reason at a certain time. She learned a lot from (her experience) and she was in a position to help others," said Henshaw. Now Sinardi volunteers on the board of STRIDE, which is a work program for people with psychiatric disabilities. She said it's important to have something to look forward to. She learned that exercise is important to her overall well-being and she even discovered her artistic side. She creates all sorts of crafts including painted tshirts and hand-made cushions. Sinardi's experience and incredible recovery makes her an ideal role model for others experiencing depres sion She said it's very important to overcome the secrecy that surrounds suicide. "She believes in open ness," Henshaw said. "She believes in getting rid of the stigma attached to suicide so to do that you have to be open." Getting rid of the secrecy surrounding suicide is also the purpose of Suicide Prevention Week, which has the theme 'You can be on the team.' The week, which runs from May 14th to 20th, is being held through the collaborative efforts of the CMHA, the Distress Centre in Oakville and the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. "It's to educate the public about the signs of suicide, how to get help and general suicide prevention infor mation," said Sandy Beveridge from the Distress Centre. Marion Wright Executive Director of CMHA for Halton and Owen Sound, said it is extremely important to get information out to the people who are at the high est risk for suicide, namely youth and the first nation's population. The organizations have been sending out informa tion on suicide to schools, community workers, media and parents to increase general awareness about avail able resources, as well as information about the indica tors, behaviors and actions of a suicidal person, and what people who notice those signs can do to help. "Suicide is very difficult to talk about yet if some one is thinking about taking their life and you ask them directly, 'Are you thinking of committing suicide?' they will feel a sense of relief. It's almost like giving them permission to talk about it" Wright said. "That in itself will do something to prevent the sui cide from happening." Support and information about suicide is available in Oakville through several organizations including Photo by Peter C. McCusker Youth net which is a youth for youth program, the Margo Sinardi works on a needlepoint project at her Oakville home. Sinardi used needlepoint and Yellow Ribbon Campaign, CMHA, which has two-day other crafts as a way to explore her creative side which helped lift her from the depression that training workshops, all Mental Health programs or the 24-hour Oakville Distress Centre line at 849-4541. led to three failed suicide attempts more than a decade ago. A 0 0 O 0 o° 9 Pioneer Family Pools .,, _ ___ 0o 0 o 0 A 0 0 o 0 0 o If you missed i our biggest closed _ rts the Qo oo door sale ever < Go Wild! This Summer with Bell Mobility and African Lion Safari 0o 0 o 0 ° o 0 .0 0 0o $49 After all rebates Qualcomm QCP2760 Dual IViode Digital PCS Phone 10-25% 1 ON REG. M ERCH A N D ISE & UP TO n v c ro A T ru ON SCRATCH v `N DENTS! 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