Dave was a happy kid, upbeat, sincere, and well-liked by everyone at our school in Peterborough, Ontario.  He was happiest when playing sports, and I was always impressed with my little brother’s athletic ability.  We would play touch football together and he would have a huge smile on his face.  Dave could motivate our whole team to get a touchdown, time after time.

As kids, Spencer and I were nearly inseparable. Even though he was only two years older than me, I thought Spencer was the coolest, smartest, strongest person in the world. We shared the same toys, comic books, clothes, friends – we even shared the same room.

My name is Claudia Schalm. I live in Williams Lake, and want to share the story about my son, Kent. Kent was the oldest of my four children. We lived on a farm when the children were young and Kent was his father’s right-hand man. Kent was a responsible, hard worker. He could do anything from milking cows to running machinery, and everything in-between. You name it and Kent could do it.

Some of you may have “special” sons, daughters, or other family or friends who live with a major mental illness like schizophrenia which takes them away from you and into the frightening world of psychosis.

My name is Catherine Larnon-Trout and I want to tell you about my “special” son. If it were not for BC Schizophrenia Society (BCSS), I do not know where I would be today. And I am not sure if my son would still be with me.