Hi everyone,

My name is Darcy, and I’m organizing this GoFundMe for my dear friend Mimi—some of you may know her as Michelle. We’ve known each other for many years, and I can tell you from the heart that she is one of the kindest, most selfless people I know.

Recently, Mimi made the incredibly brave decision to check herself into the hospital 10 days ago to get the mental health support she needs. We’re so proud of her for taking this courageous step. Right now, her doctors are estimating she may need to stay for up to six weeks, focusing fully on healing and recovery.

During this time, she won’t be able to work or manage her usual responsibilities. That’s where we come in. I’m hoping to raise funds to help cover Mimi’s basic expenses—things like rent, food, bills, and any recovery-related costs—so she can return home without the added stress of financial hardship.

Mimi has always been the first to lend a hand, share a kind word, or even give money to someone in need—even when she didn’t have any herself. She gives with her whole heart and never expects anything in return. Now it’s our turn to give back to her.

If you’re able to donate, please know that every contribution, no matter the size, makes a real difference. And if you can’t give right now, sharing this page or sending messages of support is just as valuable.

Let’s rally around Mimi and remind her that she is deeply loved and supported.

With gratitude and love,

Darcy

This is the what Mimi told everyone on Facebook the other day:

"So you guys often hear me talking about mental health and addiction and recovery and how all of those things are possible and how much I deeply believe in talking about them openly and honestly. I truly do believe that normalizing conversations around these things is the key to removing the stigma and making it possible for more people to recover with dignity and the information they need to do that.

All that to say that in the last week or so I’ve been admitted to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria because of a mental health crisis where i found myself acutely suicidal. I just spent seven days in the psychiatric emergency services, waiting room, simply waiting for a bed on a treatment unit.

I cannot impress upon you how much that waiting space was not meant for that use, and how the incredible staff working that space went above and beyond to try and mitigate some of the discomfort that came from trying to naturally exist in that small room with other people who are also suffering with mental health challenges. All told I arrived on Monday the 9th morning at 8 AM, and l was sent to a treatment unit on the 16th at approximately 2 PM. That was seven days in a waiting room. Because people are struggling to get their mental health needs met and there are no services. This is unacceptable.

At this point, I have to move wards because they put me on a youth ward that supports the exact same population of youth that I support in my own professional life, which may have been something I forgot to tell them that I do for a living, or something that was an oversight on whoever’s part. So now I am trying to lay low on the unit while i wait for a bed on the appropriate place in case I bump into one of the youths I support in my job (who may recognize me while we look for another bed. Who knows how long that will take.)

I am looking at a pretty long hospital stay. Some of the treatments we will be trying are of course CBT, DBT, medication, therapy and counseling in addition to ECT. I recognize that that last one is a bit controversial, but I will tell you that it is not up for debate. If somebody would like to discuss it over DM to find out the reasons why I’ve made the decision to try it. I’m open to that but would prefer not to have the discussion on this thread.

Im pretty scared because I honestly don’t know how long I’ll be able to financially sustain myself and stay in the hospital at the same time, I don’t even know what options are open to me in terms of medical EI or long-term disability at work. but I guess at this point we’ll just have to let the chips fall where they may. ‍♀️

Just to let you know, I’ve been feeling really terrible for the better part of the year. Possibly since the assault happened last September and was simply ignoring it, and this is the result. Let’s start having an honest conversations about how we are, where we’re at, and how we can show up for people more when we’re not feeling as well as we normally would be. I wish that I could have felt safe enough to say something earlier. And that’s nobody’s fault but my own.

In any case, I love you guys."