New Wings Program Helps Women Find Their Way

Suicidal thoughts started at an early age for Leanne.

“If I jumped out of this window, do you think anyone would miss me?” she asked her brother at the age of seven.

Looking back at her childhood, her earliest memories consist of abuse and neglect. Leanne grew up in a typical middle-class family with two brothers (13 years older), her mom, and her dad.

“My parents completely forgot about me and they never took part in my life,” she said.

Since the second grade, she learned to take care of herself – whether that was dealing with parent-teacher interviews or out of school activities.

As an adult, Leanne learned that her older brother suffered from alcoholism, her mother was a narcissist, and her father was emotionally distant; she realizes now that she never stood a chance.

Throughout her teenage years, depression and anxiety became common themes as she dealt with her mental illness. She pulled herself together to get her high school diploma and an honors diploma at NAIT, which lead to a successful career.

“With a lot of childhood abuse you can run for a while, but people have a point where they break down, and I hit that when I was in my late 30s,” she said.

After nearly a decade in the work force, Leanne had gotten married and became a stay-at-home mom to a son. People were convinced she had her life together but throughout this time, suicidal thoughts and attempts began. Her actions lead to losing her husband and custody of her son after spiraling into a deep depression that lasted nearly two years.

“I felt like I blew up my entire life,” Leanne said.

The recommendation made by her therapist lead to the move into The Salvation Army’s Cornerstone Residence in January. It was the change she needed. With the combination of the Wings program, therapy courses through Alberta Health Services, and a listening ear provided by the staff at Cornerstone, she began to take control of her life.

“You can only run so far from your problems until they hit you.”

The start of her healing began with life skills classes at the Wings program. The program taught her how to cope with her depression by self-care, gratitude, exercise, and journaling. As she moves closer to graduation, she continues to work towards her recovery by practicing the skills she’s learned.

“I will always have clinical depression but now I know how to fight it.”

The program is designed to help the women apply the skills they learn to each of their personal struggles. The program not only teaches the women skills to cope, but also budgeting, cooking, and even crafting.

Looking into the future is an exciting step for Leanne, as she works towards her goals of apartment hunting, employment, and weekend visits from her now 11-year-old son.

She believes that there’s hope for anyone out there who may be dealing with their own struggles.

“My life isn’t over, and I thought it was.”