The gift of time
Bill Lee has spent most of his life giving back in gratitude for the care and compassion he received through St. Joseph’s mental health care program and from strangers.
As he reflects on his life to date, Bill Lee is proud and content. He’s also grateful.
He’s grateful for the mental health care he received. He’s grateful to the people from community organizations who took a chance on him and helped him build his confidence to create the life he wanted. And he’s grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community as a volunteer, sharing his time and experience as the Chair and member of the Patient Council for St. Joseph’s Mental Health Care Program.
“I’m proud of what I have done with the community and the hospital,” Lee says. “I look back to the past and wonder if anyone saw me then if they would ever expect what I have become today,”
Lee was only 12 years old when he started experiencing seizures, which he says were brought on by trauma related to the death of his grandfather and by extreme stress and anxiety. As a result, he was hospitalized for seven months. After he returned home to his parents and sister, his life became unsettled by his mother’s alcohol addiction. His seizures continued, leading to memory loss and academic challenges. He was admitted to inpatient mental health care once again at 17 years old. Two years later he was released from hospital.
The kindness of strangers
It was then that Lee began working in a shelter for the local Jaycees – something he describes as an important turning point in his life. A little more than a decade later he became a member of the local Optimist Club helping out with the St. Anne’s Community Festival.
“The clubs helped me,” he says. “They gave me confidence to go out to the community.”
With renewed confidence, Lee accepted a role on the steering committee charged with doing research for a new mental health care patient care council in London. Around the same time, he helped with Coffee Days in the forensic mental health program and joined the volunteer association. In St. Thomas, he also supported the former Psychiatrics Survivors Network for Elgin – a drop-in centre supporting people living with a mental illness. He went on to serve as the President of the organization for five years.
Making change
Lee is now the Chair of the Patient Council at St. Joseph’s Mental Health Care Program – his fifth term in the role. And he’s proud of how many changes, the Council has made over the years to better support patients receiving care. In addition to chairing the monthly meetings, on most Mondays, you can also find Lee visiting people receiving inpatient care at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care. In his leadership role, he also attends St. Joseph’s annual Breakfast of Champions (BOC) Event. It’s an event he believes is critical in building awareness about mental health and raising funds for those receiving care.
Since its inception in 2007, more than $2 million has been raised through BOC – with all proceeds directed to support mental health care programs at St. Joseph’s. And this year, the Patient Assistance Fund for Mental Health Care was launched. This Fund will directly impact the lives of people receiving care by supporting the purchase of items that express dignity, respect and dignity for the whole person, like personal care kits, grocery gift cards and warm winter clothing.
Ever committed to helping others, Lee has continued to grow his skills and recently undertook Peer Development training –an eight-week course learning to be a peer support worker in the hospital and the community. This training will be particularly helpful to Lee as he spends time with people in the community who have completed their inpatient care.
A life well lived
Although it may not seem like it, Lee says that he’s cutting back on some of his volunteer responsibilities and enjoying more time with his wife of 34 years Anne Marie. In addition to spending time with family at their trailer, they attend local Optimist conventions and dabble in hobbies like model cars.
He also loves listening to his vast collection of country and rock and roll music including his favorite singer, the late Jeannie Shepard.
And he continues to express his gratitude for the care he received so many years ago.
“If it wasn’t for the care I received, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today,” he says. “I’m just happy to stay involved and continue giving back.”
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