At times during the past few years, Gibsons resident Rose D'Vilano thought she'd never laugh again. Due to her intermittent bouts of depression she has seen a lot of tough times.
But she's come through it all with a sense of humor and a desire to help others.
"I want to spend the rest of my life laughing and bringing joy to people," she said.
And thanks to Stand Up For Mental Health, a course teaching people with mental illness to turn their problems into stand-up comedy, she's gotten that chance.
"I'm taking this course so I can be the best I've ever been," D'Vilano said. "I'll be 69 this year, and as far as I'm concerned I've only just passed middle age. Doing comedy has been amazing. It's really helped me come out of my shell and feel strong."
D'Vilano and her Stand Up For Mental Health class performs in Gibsons at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18 at the Heritage Playhouse. Tickets are $10 or $5 for those on fixed incomes and can be obtained at Coast Books, Hallmark Cards, Roberts Creek Health Food Store, Talewind Books and the Arrowhead Clubhouse in Sechelt.
Stand Up For Mental Health is led by Vancouver counsellor and stand-up comic David Granirer, whose work was featured in the Global TV Documentary Laughing Through The Pain.
"Doing comedy about their mental illness builds participants' self-esteem and helps reduce public stigma around mental illness," says Granirer.
