Left Behind by Suicide Inc. (not for profit) Board Members

Scott Chisholm, President, Thunder Bay Ontario

Janet McLeod, Secretary, St.Joseph’s Island Ontario

I’ve been in Family Practice/ Emergency for 22 years. I have an under-graduate degree in social work.

I’m married to Steve Roedde and we have two sons, Zak and Nigel. Scott was their adopted uncle when they were little, and now those two grown sons have spent time hanging out with Scott’s two sons! Scott has been a family friend in the true spirit of the word for at least 18 or 19 years. (I have this vision of you on the trampoline with my two little guys, big smiles all around).

I believe in Scott and the veracity he brings to this project as both a good person, and a suicide survivor. Scott’s father’s suicide was a tragedy and undoubtedly shaped the person that he is today. He is taking the personal and putting it in the public domain so that others will feel that there is a forum to share their story.

As a photographer Scott will use this gift to focus both the lens of the camera and the narrative of the suicide survivor in order to offer a powerful image for those who have felt that their own story has been closeted. It provides a sense of kinship for those who have felt isolated and alone, from someone who has the sensitivity of having been there himself.

Personally, being involved in this project has allowed me an opportunity to offer support to a project that I hope will help the people close to me who have been left behind by the suicide of a loved one.

Roger Quirion, Treasurer, Thunder Bay Ontario

I have been a Financial Planner for over 25 years or more aptly put a people person trying to make a difference in other people’s lives-not only in a financial perspective but on an overall level.

What happens to an individual to cause him/her to take their life? No one can answer that question. Collateral Damage is a journey of one individual, Scott Chisholm, hoping to uncover for himself and many others the issues and questions which very often form the taboos and mysteries of suicide and mental health.

I offer Scott my full support for his courage and openness in fulfilling his goal. I wish him success in the goals of creating dialogue and minimizing stigma through the Collateral Damage project.

Left Behind by Suicide Inc. (not for profit). Professional Support.

Steve Roedde, St.Joseph’s Island Ontario

I am a 55 year old married physician (and maple syrup producer).

Certified in both Family Practice and Emergency Medicine, the majority of my 22 year medical career has been spent in acute (emergency) care. My passions have been clinical teaching and evidence based medicine.

I have known Scott for nearly 20 years. I have watched his evolution from paramedic, to firefighter to his more recent involvement in Charity fund-raising and community service. We have shared many hours in athletic pursuits. I think of him more as a younger brother than as a very close friend.

Scott has been developing the concept of what is now known as “Collateral Damage” for many years. Having been involved in the aftermath of suicides on a number of occasions, I feel one of the most damaging aspects of this tragedy is the tendency for “secrecy” both within families and close social contacts. It seems to me that the resultant isolation of survivors compounds the sense of guilt/anger and other powerful emotional responses. Although cognizant of the fact that this project will not eliminate these issues, by putting a human face on some survivors it might provide a starting point for dialogue.

Kellie Hudson, Thunder Bay Ontario

Kellie Hudson has been in journalism for more than 20 years. As a print journalist, she was at The Toronto Star from 1987 to 2000, where she covered sports, courts, crime, city news and provincial politics. She also served as a copy editor, assistant city editor, and associate sports editor. In 2000, she left the only job she ever knew to move to Thunder Bay for her husband’s work. Crossing to the “dark side,” she spent three years as a communications officer at the local public school board. It was time well spent in her eyes because it allowed her to see the media from a non-journalist’s perspective.

She spent the last six years with CBC Radio. She now runs her own media consulting company, KMH Media Experts, and is pleased to be involved with such a worthwhile project.

Krista and Daniel Hansen, Thunder Bay Ontario

Our company, eleven-seventeen, is a design and brand development firm that helps people and organizations bring their visual identity in line with where they are going as a company. One of our mandates is to take on projects that benefit our community or region as a whole, and from our first phone call with Scott it was immediately clear that this was a project we wanted to be on board with. We feel privileged and excited to be a part of Collateral Damage.

As we’ve been working on the design and website we have, of course, been talking about the project to friends, colleagues and family. It’s been amazing the dialogue that has started already. The thing that really strikes us about the project is that its scope is so universal. We all at least know someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, and most of us can relate to the awkwardness of wanting to console a person but not knowing what to say or ask. We know that already this project has changed us personally. We will never respond the same way again to someone who has been left behind by suicide. We’re excited to see what the future of Collateral Damage will bring.

Judy Follet-Johns, Ottawa Ontario

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advocate

Judy is an accomplished Marketing professional with over 30 years experience in Sales, Customer Service, Consumer, Small Business and Enterprise Marketing, Product Management and Take to Market Strategy Development and Execution. As a highly motivated team player she holds a consistent, proven track record of demonstrating excellent leadership, interpersonal, relationship management, coaching and communication skills.  She has worked in small, large and not-for-profit organizations during her career and enjoyed 8 years of involvement in United Way and Mental Heath fundraising activities.

Now a retired Canada Post employee,  she saw first hand how the establishment of a Foundation for Mental Health by this corporation changed thousands of lives. After losing her own daughter to suicide in 2007, Judy became an active Mental Health and Suicide Prevention advocate. She believes strongly in the statement that “doing nothing is not an option” and has become the voice for so many who can’t speak. She supports fully the notion that preventative action will go a long way in reducing the number of deaths by suicide and feels that it is incumbent on us as a nation to create awareness, provide communciation and intervention training and to encourage the start of dialogue in homes, schools, businesses and communities everywhere.

She embraces the objectives of the “Collateral Damage” project and looks forward to reaching the next level on the climb to Starting the Dialogue with Scott and his team.

Michael Strickland L.L.B, Thunder Bay Ontario