NEWS AND ANALYSIS

JOANNA

Cont?d from page 1 situation to believe they have any right to any kind of social environment, including one?s family. ?It?s the end of the line,? he said. ?As far as you and everybody else are concerned, when you?re on the street you?re nobody and nobody cares.? Joanna said that wasn?t true. She told Chris about all the trips and various inquiries made among homeless shelters and other organizations in both Ottawa and Toronto as she kept trying to find her long-lost brother. At one point, her efforts could have meant the difference between life and death because she urgently needed a bone-marrow transplant to save her own life. ?Nine years ago, I was told I had an acute case of leukemia and the only way I could beat the disease was to get a bone marrow transplant from a close relative or sibling.? While Joanna had other brothers and sisters upon whom she could rely on for a bone marrow transplant, she still made a serious effort to find Chris in case things didn?t work out with her other siblings. After making inquiries at homeless shelters in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, she soon realized how people who get lost on the streets of any big city tend to stay lost. Fortunately, another one of her brothers provided a compatible supply of bone marrow and nine years later, Joanna has new blood and a brand new immune system to keep the disease at bay. When Chris came back to Montreal, an alert social worker at the downtown drop-in centre recalled Joanna?s efforts to find her brother. When asked if he would like to see his sister, Chris agreed. After a few letters and a number of long telephone conversations, the two finally managed to get together over a cup of coffee. ?I?m so happy to see you,? said Joanna with tears in her eyes. ?I?m just so happy you?re alive.? Chris admits it?s been a hard life on the streets. Plagued by acute fits of depression all of his life, he said he?s finally getting better and he has a lot of plans to help deal with immediate problems affecting all of the nation?s street people. ?Once I decided I was strong enough to be responsible for my own mental health, I decided I was strong enough to help other people with theirs.? Reid now has his own little apartment which is always the first step back towards a normal life. Dressed in worn but clean clothes, he spends a lot of time at the drop-in centre, in the libraries and taking long walks through the city. As for his immediate projects, Reid is trying to organize a specialized lecture series to inform working health and social service workers about the differences between how people perceive the homeless and who they truly are. ?There?s always a common thread between some kind of acute trauma and an individual?s own feelings of deep social alienation.? said Reid. Citing his own knowledge of people who find themselves alone and hungry on the streets, he said the police, paramedics and other front line healthcare and social workers must know about such realities if they are to do anything constructive to deal with such problems. ?Mental illness is more than just a word,? said Reid. ?So what exactly is schizophrenia? What do they mean when they?re talking about PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder)? Who gets depressed? really depressed and what are you going to do about it?? Reid wants to see the province?s medical authorities set up a mobile MASH style medical unit that caters to the homeless. ?Nobody likes to see us in the hospital emergency wards,? said Reid. ?We (city street people) know we?re not welcome there.? While he still has the strength and the will to do so, Reid is determined to make a difference in the lives of those around him. ?Well you sure made a difference in mine,? said Joanna. ?Maybe so,? said Chris. ?? but we never do enough to help people out when they?re on the street.? While Joanna S. was willing to provide her full identity for this article, her brother did not think it was a good idea. ? P.A. SEVIGNY / THE SUBURBAN

VETERANS

Cont?d from page 2 Canadian citizens who fought for Allied forces overseas do not enjoy the same eligibility as a Canadian citizen who fought for Canada overseas. Is that correct?? Mogan?s answer was that as of 2003, all Allied veterans had access to beds in the Vets if ?the care that they need is not available in their community.? Scarpaleggia went on to point out that under the current system, ?there are two levels here of veterans, really. If you fought for the Canadian Forces, you have immediate eligibility. If you?re a Canadian citizen and you fought for the Allied forces, you can go but only after your condition in a community health facility deteriorates to a certain point.? Pointing out that the hospital currently has empty floors and no waiting list, Scarpaleggia asked what harm could come from allowing all Allied veterans the same access to service since they ?fought in the same war, and they?re Canadian citizens, and they?ve paid their taxes. There?s probably not that many of them as well. I know that there are a few cases in my community where Allied forces vets are fighting to get into the hospital, and they?re coming up

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