When Lila Gray speaks about her 29-year-old son Alex (not their real names), her voice softens. Even after years of navigating the complexities of his mental illness, her first instinct is to remember who he has always been at his core: intelligent, athletic, funny and empathetic toward others.
But life changed dramatically when, in his teens, Alex started showing signs of schizophrenia and began using cannabis, which itself has been associated with the disease — in particular the high-strength strains that have been shown to impact young people’s mental health.
At times Alex would run away, only to have a frightened Lila later find him on a street somewhere in Toronto. After suffering what was likely a manic episode in his late teens, he spent time at three different hospitals in the GTA over the next five years, all the while struggling with the side effects of the medications he was prescribed.
The stress, Lila recalled, weighed on the whole family.
She prefers not to discuss the events that eventually led Alex to Waypoint, simply saying that she is grateful he ended up here: “Thank God there are places like Waypoint around.”
Alex stayed at Waypoint for about 18 months before his status improved enough that he could continue his healing journey at a hospital closer to home. For Lila, one of the most important differences was the consistency of the care team.
The level of care and insight was really different from what I’d experienced before. You go to some hospitals and you see a different doctor almost every day — there’s no continuity. Here there was continuity and care.
Lila
Under the guidance of Dr. Achal Mishra, Alex finally found a medication plan that worked for him after years of struggling with difficult side effects. But it wasn’t just the medical treatment that made a difference. Nurses, support staff and clinicians all treated Alex with compassion and dignity throughout his stay, and were always receptive to feedback from family members.
The people who work in this field are very special.
Lila
When asked about the difference in Alex from the time he arrived at Waypoint to when he left, Lila quickly replied it’s like “night and day.”
“He’s just more like himself,” she said, “as opposed to hallucinating and suffering from this dreadful disease that nobody ever asks for.”
Alex’s path, Lila acknowledges, has not been a straight one. There have been improvements and setbacks, steady periods and sudden regressions. But she is hopeful — and proud of how far he’s come.
“It continues to be a journey, but we’re 100 per cent there for him.”
Looking back, she believes Waypoint played a vital role not only in Alex’s recovery, but in giving their family renewed hope.
If it weren’t for Waypoint. I don’t know where he would have ended up.