People from all walks of life came to Poppy Plaza along Memorial Drive on Sunday for the 6th annual Recovery Day event in Calgary.
The event aims to mobilize and organize Canadians in recovery from addiction and addiction-related problems.
For Vanisha Breault, the day hits close to home, highlighting her frustrations with trying to navigate myriad systems to get help.
Breault, a single mother of four children, worked for years to get help for her daughter, Eden, who became addicted to heroin and fentanyl at age 14.
“Really, that journey took me through that entire health-care system, it took me through our policing system, our government system,” said Breault.
“I learned first-hand what the gaps were and just the lack of awareness, the lack of education around addiction. I learned first-hand how strong that stigma is around addiction.”
Breault said she was particularly frustrated in her attempts to obtain an application under the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act (PChAD), which allows legal guardians to ask the court for a protection order allowing their child to be taken to a protective safe house for up to 10 days, even if they do not want to go.
Breault ended up getting three PChAD’s for her daughter.
“I remember my last attempt at getting a PChAD for her and the judge almost didn’t give it to me,” said Breault. “I actually remember vividly feeling like I had just stepped into the twilight zone because I couldn’t believe that our system was like this in our day and age.”
And that ordeal was just the beginning.
“Then you get to court and you get the application, and then you try to work with police, try to find a bed,” said Breault.
“We don’t have enough resources for beds when it comes to the safe houses. And that’s just the PChAD, let alone the health-care system.”
Breault said she was constantly fighting to get help.
“You’re fighting to save your kid, you’re fighting a system that’s not working with you or supporting you,” said Breault.
“So at every turn you’re fighting and fighting and fighting, and it should not be that way. The disease in itself is hard enough. Let alone then having to try and face everything else out there, trying to get support.”
Breault’s daughter is now coming up on two years sober, with a child of her own.
“She’s a miracle. She’s doing incredible. She’s living on her own, working full time at Inn From the Cold. You would never know — to see her and talk to her, you would never know,” said Breault.
“There were a lot of days that I thought I was going to bury my daughter, for sure.”
Now, Breault is turning her fight to helping others with their addiction recovery by creating the Terminator Foundation.
Focusing on youth addiction, the foundation hosts an annual five-kilometre walk/run that raises awareness about addiction and offers support for families, parents and youth.
“We all need to be a part of the solution,” said Breault.
“We are at a crucial, critical moment in history right now where we can live our recovery out loud.”
On Twitter: @JunkerAnna
