Renea Mohammed was in the middle of her master’s degree when she started hearing voices.
They would tell the then-26-year-old to kill herself, something she attempted three times. Mohammed also believed she was under surveillance and that there were cameras planted inside her apartment and all around the city.
“They were very difficult to live with,” the Burnaby resident, a 2006 Courage to Come Back Award recipient, told the NOW. “I learned pretty quickly that others couldn’t hear them. I thought the reason was because they were using some sophisticated technology that enabled them to broadcast in such a way that I would only hear it.”
Mohammed, now 46, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1997. Despite her diagnosis, she went on to complete her master’s degree in library and information studies.
“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, so I’m kind of proud I finished it,” she said, noting her husband’s support helped her during that critical time.
But what followed was a four-year struggle that saw Mohammed in and out of jobs and in and out of hospitals. The voices resurfaced and paranoia set in.
“I would end up quitting jobs and then I eventually gave up on the idea of working at all. I considered myself retired in my 20s,” she recalled.
It was only when doctors found the perfect concoction of meds that the voices stopped. It took a few tries, though. Sometimes the side effects of the medications were worse than Mohammed’s schizophrenia and “felt like torture.”
Volunteering was also part of Mohammed’s recovery. Slowly, she start getting comfortable around people again.
When she decided she was ready to go back to work, she knew she wanted to have a career in the mental health field. Mohammed finished the community mental health worker program at Douglas College and was hired as a peer support worker for Vancouver Mental Health and Addictions Services.
Mohammed’s story is just one example of why Coast Mental Health holds its annual Courage to Come Back Awards. Now in its 19th year, the gala recognizes six individuals from across the province who have overcome adversity, have changed their lives for the better and have helped others do the same.
“There really is no small story,” said spokesperson Alyssa Goad. “What people need to realize is what may seem insignificant to them is a huge story to others. A lot of people think, ‘Oh, it’s not that big of a deal that I volunteer 100 hours a month at this place and I struggle with this.’ … Anybody who’s overcome anything is someone who should be celebrated.”
Last year’s event raised $1.43 million for Coast Mental Health, which offers programs and housing to people with mental illness. Goad said staff hope to raise the same amount, if not more, on May 16.
Interested in nominating someone for an award? The nomination deadline is Feb. 8. Go to the website at couragetocomeback.ca for more information.
