At the tender age of 13, Anette Larabie was an orphan.
It was around the same time she remembers being enclosed in complete darkness with no light at the end of the tunnel.
However, she survived.
At the age of 22, Larabie had a baby and developed postpartum depression. But she knew that there was more to her illness, soon after she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Larabie knows what it is like to suffer in silence. She knows that silence sometimes can be deafening.
Many Sudbury families gathered outside Science North braving the chilly winds to support Larabie and many others living with mental illness, by participating in Ride Don’t Hide Event organized by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Sudbury/Manitoulin.
The national event hopes to raise awareness about mental illness by encouraging community members to come out and engage in physical activities.
“The whole idea is to get people out as a community and raise awareness to end the stigma around mental health. We also want people suffering to know they are not alone and they shouldn't be ashamed to seek help,” Emily Zanini, health promotion educator at CMHA said.
The event hopes to raise $10,000 to fund the various support program that has helped people like Larabie take control of her life.
As Larabie stood today out of Science North today, telling her story, she knew she was not alone.
And she reminded everyone listening to her that they were not alone and their story deserved to be told.
