Editor:
Many thanks to Christine Wood for her article about our annual general meeting celebration of 30 years working with our Sunshine Coast Branch of the B.C. Schizophrenia Society (“Society honours its founding member,” June 3).
I believe that what made it possible to reach out to others who had family members with serious mental illness was that my husband and I moved to the Coast, alone, so we didn’t have to consider how other members of our family would be affected by the stigma. We had two daughters living on the North Shore and one had joined the North Shore Friends of Schizophrenics, as the society was then called, and had taken a course about the illness from Dr. Norma Calder. We joined the branch also, and I was fortunate to work with Dr. Calder for several years, as she helped gather members for our branch.
These members and others who have joined us over the years, plus exceptional employees of the society and government, have helped change the lives of so many. All our members, past and present, and the wonderful Sunshine Coast community have contributed to our work for all these years, and we want to thank them all so very much. Personally, I believe that I have been very fortunate to count so many wonderful people as friends.
I was thrilled to also be presented with an honourary membership to the Arrowhead Society!
Julie Skippon, Gibsons
