A Mental Health Journey
Do you have a
man in your life that suffers from mental illness? I think society leads the world to believe that men must be strong and that they are not allowed to break down, but men By Caitlin Banks suffer just as much as women. Sometimes I think it might be harder because if you lose parts of your manhood then who are you. As women we are all expected to break down here and there, but what about the men in our lives. I had the opportunity to interview a special man in my life, Dwayne Binnie. He’s my dad forever, maybe not by blood, but always through heart, love, and family. My dad suffers from many mental health issues and it has not been easy. He deals with PTSD from the military and feels like he is a burden. Dwayne Binnie is a super gentle and quiet brave soul. He is the father of four wonderful children and a grandfather to 4 beautiful grandsons. Spending time with family, building anything, watching Canadian football, (“GO Roughriders”)
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A Mental Health Journey
“ Behind Every Strong Soldier Is A Courageous Family Who Stands By Them And Loves
”
Them With All Their Heart.
watching TV and reading are his favorite things to do. Something you would not know about my dad is that he feels like he has lost who he was and feels like he just gets in the way. These feelings all started after he could not find a job back in 1986. He was looking for a stable paying position and felt that a position in the police force or RCMP were the most stable. It was impossible as he was not female, black or of a minority. It was time for him to step up for his wife and provide for the family of his dreams.
Joining the military at the time was his only option. As my dad always has said “It definitely wasn’t my first choice, it was my only choice.” The next 13 years of his life would be given to the military. He lost the chance to watch his kids grow up and would serve in 4 tours. After the third tour my dad knew he would never be quite the same and will forever have to live with flashbacks, depression, and the death of two close friends. The worst memories will forever be seeing all the
