Heroes are typically seen as people who do amazing things in spite of overwhelming adversity. These people are often thought of as putting themselves in harms way to save lives. But sometimes being a hero is as simple as sharing a meaningful story.
On Jan. 30, the Campbell River RCMP hosted former NHLer and storyteller, Corey Hirsch, who presented to students from Carihi, Timberline, Campbell River Christian School and to local athletes.
The hockey hero was Team Canada's goalie in the 1994 Olympics where the team won a silver medal. Then he played in the NHL with his most memorable era being with the Vancouver Canucks. During the 1996 -1997 season, Hirsch had been reduced to a shell of 140 pounds. Die hard Canucks fans may remember the news stories of the day that Hirsch had been ill. But, the details of what happened were never fully revealed.
In 2017, the article, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, was published in the Players Tribune. In it, Hirsch told the world his story about battling obsessive compulsive disorder. The story was personal and groundbreaking. Professional athletes just didn't talk about mental health struggles, but there was Hirsch, laying out some of his darkest moments in hopes to get the conversations started and break down the walls of stigma.
Since the release of the Players Tribune article, Hirsch has become a tireless advocate for mental health education and his message when he speaks is simple and comes from the heart. You are not alone, there is hope, and there is help.
During his talk with Campbell River youth, Hirsch blended his story of struggles with stories of success and humour and challenged the audience as well, to be kinder to one another and be prepared to listen.
In a Feb. 14 media release, Const. Maury Tyre, with the Campbell River RCMP, said bringing the hockey legend to the community was an obvious choice.
"As first responders, we often focus on mental health problems of people who show an outward struggle, but we know there are many more who don't speak up, who are successful, that do appear to be at the top of their game, and every day they wear a mask to hide what's going on," Tyre said. "Having someone else tell a story that you can relate to can be so powerful for those who are hiding their struggles behind a mask, and may be the catalyst for them to reach out and get the help they need."
