Light the Way campaign helps fund bereavement program
Nazire Gjinnaj caught an inspiring glimpse of the tremendous impact her son, Justin, had on others when she called the Canadian Mental Health Association for help in coping with his sudden death.
Article content
Nazire Gjinnaj caught an inspiring glimpse of the tremendous impact her son, Justin, had on others when she called the Canadian Mental Health Association for help in coping with his sudden death.
As Gjinnaj told the CMHA worker she recently lost her son, they in turn asked if his name was Justin. Gjinnaj was surprised and wondered how the worker knew about the vibrant young man. She was told over 200 people had called CMHA in their struggle to deal with his suicide at age 20.
“It was his students, his friends, his co-workers who just didn’t get it,” Gjinnaj said.
Gjinnaj pushed through the pain of each word Thursday to deliver a powerful message on behalf of the CMHA’s bereavement program.
It was that program that helped her “believe that I was going to be able to get myself together again.” Gjinnaj shared her darkest moments as a grieving mother at the kickoff for CMHA’s Light the Way campaign at Devonshire Mall.
Patrons are encouraged to write the name of a departed loved one on an ornament and place it on the CMHA’s giving tree for a $2 donation.
The tree will stand just outside the Cineplex theatres until Dec. 24.
All funds raised go toward the association’s bereavement program and to a new client assistance fund established just months ago to alleviate the short-term hardships for some of their most vulnerable clients. The fund can be used for bus tickets, cab fare or food vouchers.
Claudia den Boer Grima, CEO of the CMHA’s Windsor-Essex branch, said 600 adults and children use the local bereavement program annually. It receives minimal government funding and must rely on community support for its sustainability.
Light the Way is a new effort to raise both funds and awareness for the “20 per cent of individuals in this community who are living with a mental illness,” den Boer Grima said.
Gjinnaj knows just how important CMHA programs were in helping her find a new normal in her life. “I went from someone who couldn’t eat to someone who went back to work full time,” she said.
Justin was “the classic good kid” she said. He had a second-degree black belt and taught karate to others. He worked part time at Chrysler while studying accounting at St. Clair College. He volunteered and was considered “the neighbourhood boy” for his willingness to shovel the driveways of older residents.
“He was always willing to give someone a hand. He was everybody’s boy,” Gjinnaj said. “The tragic and unexpected loss of my son Justin destroyed me.”
No one saw any signs of his terrible inner struggle.
“I wish I had an explanation so I could go out there and say watch for these signs but I don’t,” Gjinnaj said.
Both she and her daughter learned through their grief counsellor that talking about Justin helps him live on in their memories.
Gjinnaj held a fundraiser on the first anniversary of his death last March and raised nearly $20,000 for the CMHA.
“With the holiday season approaching, for all of us who have experienced the loss of a loved one, this is a very difficult time,” Gjinnaj said. “We need this program and this service at the Canadian Mental Health (Association) more than ever.”
