Cocoon

I want to begin by saying that I am okay.

First, I want to thank everyone who supported my family during the life and passing of my brother, Brendon. May his soul rest in peace. The love and support shown to our family has meant more than words can express.

I also want to thank the people who have been part of my life up to this point — through the good and the difficult. Those experiences shaped who I was.

second,

on March 7, something changed.

The Duston that existed before that day is no longer the same person. The version of myself that I knew is now inside what I can only describe as a cocoon.

For a long time, I felt like a creature people didn’t want to get too close to. I might have seemed colourful or interesting from the outside, but if you got too close, I could make people uncomfortable. Sometimes I hurt people. Sometimes I pushed them away. At times I felt like a pest in my own life.

For years I also struggled with addiction.

    •    I have used nicotine since 1998.

    •    I began using marijuana around 2000.

    •    I began using crystal meth in 2014.

Now, as my 42nd birthday approaches, I have realized that it is time for a rebirth. It is time to let the old way of living come to an end and begin something new.

On March 12, 2026, I began that transformation.

Right now, I am still in the cocoon. I know who I am deep inside, but I am not yet the person I am meant to become. I am committing to stepping away from the life I have known and focusing fully on healing and recovery. I expect this process to take about 100 days, though life is full of unknowns.

Like a cocoon in nature, this stage is fragile. Transformation is never easy, and the odds can sometimes feel overwhelming. But I believe it is possible.

That is why I am asking for understanding if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable.

I am hoping to attend an intensive rehabilitation program through CATC that will give me the education, support, and tools I need to build a life of sobriety. My goal is not just to recover, but to learn how to live well and stay sober long term.

Looking even further ahead, I dream of creating something meaningful out of this journey — a Stanchel Scholarship for Sober Living.

The word Stanchel means a post of support. Stanchel, PEI is where my father grew up. My grandmother was known in that community for helping people who had nowhere else to go. She welcomed people into her home — people who were struggling or had fallen on hard times — and some of those people later became like family to us.

I want to carry forward that same spirit of support. One day, I hope this scholarship can help others who are trying to rebuild their lives through sobriety.

For now, though, the work begins with me.

I ask for your thoughts, your prayers, and any support you are able to offer. Thank you for being part of my first life, and for believing that something new can grow from this cocoon.

I don’t yet know what will emerge on the other side — but I am committed to finding out.