Catherine Larnon-Trout has a son suffering from schizophrenia.
The Maple Ridge mother of three knows that now. But, when her eldest son Paul started showing symptoms of the disease, Larnon-Trout didn’t know what to do.
Up until Grade 11, her son Paul was a model student. He was smart, well-behaved, organized and helpful. He was also a gifted athlete, and his mother said, a caring member of her church and community.
One day that all changed when Larnon-Trout received a phone call from his school. Paul had punched another student who was simply walking down the hall, breaking his nose.
Because Paul had never been in trouble before he would receive community service.
What Larnon-Trout would find out over the years is that Paul didn’t see the other student that day. What he did see was a monster in front of him that he had to protect himself against.
As the years passed, her son became more and more paranoid. He couldn’t go to college and he was not able to work. He was seeing and hearing many more monsters, gods, devils, and other hallucinations, said Larnon-Trout, sharing her story online.
Paul would end up seeing a litany of counsellors, psychiatrists, child and youth workers – but he went undiagnosed.
Larnon-Trout, encouraged him to exercise, gave him special foods and vitamins, and, she said, she even yelled at him, but nothing worked.
And, she was scared, because when he would go into psychosis, her two younger children would become so afraid of Paul, she would have to ask him to leave the house.
“To this day, that is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do – choose two of my children over my other child,” said Larnon-Trout on the BC Schizophrenic Society website.
Things got so bad that Paul started sinking deeper and deeper into his mental illness. He threw himself out of cars and once off of a roof. Then, he committed a minor crime and received a jail sentence of two years less a day.
And, because Paul had not received a diagnosis, he received no medication.
When he was released from jail he was a completely different person, explained Larnon-Trout.
He was finally diagnosed with schizophrenia two years later and received medication. But, for the next decade, Paul lived in horrible and unsafe places, and Larnon-Trout said, she kept trying to find ways to get him food, clothing, and other basic needs. She was at her wits’ end when she saw an ad for a free, two-day course being offered by the BC Schizophrenia Society. A course, she said, saved her life.
She learned how to rebuild her own life to better support Paul and her other children.
Paul is now in his late 40’s and lives in his own apartment and has a part-time job. And, most importantly, he understands what he needs to “stay on an even keel,” said Larnon-Trout.
Larnon-Trout now works for the society and helps other families who are going through similar situations.
Five years ago Larnon-Trout hosted the inaugural Mad Hatters Parade and Tea Party in Maple Ridge and she is happy to announce the event is back in-person again after an “unwanted break” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Which, she noted, was a very frightening and debilitating time for a lot people living with a mental illness.
“A time that tested the mettle of those who were on the verge and who were pushed over by the overwhelming need for medical and psychiatric care that was not readily available to anyone not only this particular demographic,” said Larnon-Trout.
READ ALSO: Mad Hatter’s High Tea for mental health in Maple Ridge
There is a new mascot for the event, the Cheshire Cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
People will be welcome to make their own “Mad” hats on site and participate in the parade and competition for best hat.
“Our cat says ‘We’re all mad here’ because we did not and do not get the attention and funding for the help that we need to change the outcome for so many with major mental illness. We need to be noticed, we need to be listened to, we need to be considered important,” said Larnon-Trout.
There will be music, dancing, balloons, face painting – and, of course, the tea party with fabulous food and teas, all provided and sponsored by local businesses.
Local dignitaries will also be present to share some of their own stories.
ALSO: Mad hats for mental health
The Mad Hatters Parade and Tea Party takes place from 10-2 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, in Memorial Peace Park, along 224 Street, downtown Maple Ridge, between Dewdney Trunk Road and Lougheed Highway.
The Parade of Hats will take place at 11:30 a.m. and at 12:30 the Mad Hatters Tea Party.
The Mad Hatters Foundation is a not for profit organization and is run completely by volunteers. Every dollar raised goes directly to the parade and tea party which is completely free for all – donations are accepted and directed to BC Schizophrenia Society.
For more information or to make a donation contact Catherine at 604-308-1949, email: madhattersfoundation2017@gmail.com or go to madhattersfoundation.org.
Have a story tip? Email: cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
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