'I felt safe and comfortable here'
Published Date
Recently, Eli Brown was on vacation from his home in New Brunswick visiting friends and family in Toronto.
On his final day before boarding a flight back to Moncton, Eli took the Go Train to Whitby with plans to revisit part of his past, the part which he says propelled him forward in life.
“I felt safe and comfortable here,” recalled Eli after arriving on the grounds at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores). “I’ll never forget the respect and the treatment I received here.”
Fifteen years earlier Eli was inpatient at Ontario Shores. His two-month stay was preceded by several stops in the mental health system.
“I have a very positive feeling about my experience here,” said Eli, who lives with an adjustment disorder. “I enjoyed the property here, connecting with nature and a lot of the other services in the hospital.”
At the forefront of Eli’s motivation to revisit a piece of his mental health journey was his relationship with Dr. Daniela Hlousek, a psychiatrist at Ontario Shores.
“She was kind and she listened,” noted Eli. “She never made me feel judged, as I had felt in other places. All these years later, I want her to know the impact she had on me during my time here.”
Shortly after being discharged, Eli moved his life to the east coast where he lived in a special care home. He now lives independently while he manages his own mental health. He now works in a special care home, giving back to the community that helped him move forward in life.
“It feels good to be able to help others in the same way I was helped.”
