#MyBestMoments - Chris Cull, Peer Support Specialist

In our #MyBestMoments campaign, staff and physicians from across our organization share the moments that have mattered most to them in their careers at Lakeridge Health. Read Chris’ story below. 

My journey at Lakeridge Health began when I was invited to be a part of Lakeridge Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Integrated Planning Committee. When I was 22 years old, my father, who was a Paramedic in Durham Region, took his own life after a battle with Huntington's Disease. Not knowing how to manage the loss and trauma of finding him, I turned to opioids to cope. This turned into an eight-and-a-half-year addiction.

After successfully treating my addiction with the use of methadone, I rode my bicycle across Canada twice to raise awareness for mental health and addictions. Since then, I’ve been consulting for the last nine years on federal, provincial, and local mental health and addictions policies as well as opioid strategies. I’m also a motivational speaker and filmmaker.

Being intimately familiar with the struggles of those accessing care for mental health and addictions in the region, I’ve tried to be a voice for those seeking help. While working on the Integrated Planning Committee, I saw the potential that the Peer Support role could play in improving the quality of patient care. It’s easier to connect with someone who knows what it's like to experience what they’re going through, so when the role opened up at Lakeridge Health in 2023, I jumped at the opportunity.

I’m still early in my journey at Lakeridge Health, but my favorite part of my role so far is being able to use my experiences to try and help those in the same position I was once in. There is a deep sense of fulfillment that comes with knowing you got through to someone. You never know when it's going to come, but when it does, it's a great reminder of why I started this work. It encourages me to keep going.

My favourite moment actually just happened a few days ago. I received a message from a youth that I had spent some time with saying that he felt like our encounter was the first time he spoke with someone who truly understood what he was experiencing. He expressed that after we spoke, he went and got his SIN card and started applying for work in the area he's passionate about. Receiving messages like this is what makes the more difficult days worthwhile.

The people are what makes Lakeridge Health a great place to work. Since I joined the team, everyone has been very welcoming and willing to answer any questions I’ve had. Whether it’s patient care or working with colleagues, it’s the relationships you build that make all the difference. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to work with such awesome people.