Danielle Berman remembers herself as a happy child, at least until she was 13 years old.
It was then, in 1999, that she lost her father to suicide.
“I was the most bubbly, happy child that would never have thought of something like that,” Berman says.
A couple of years ago, she decided to start a bike ride campaign, Ride Away Stigma, to raise awareness of mental health issues, and began a ride from Vancouver to Hamilton.
“I founded the ride back in 2014 in my hometown, which is Hamilton,” Berman says. “For me, it’s just nice to have something meaningful to do to remember my dad.”
Now, she is holding the event in Squamish, the town she calls home.
“This is my first year of bringing the ride to Squamish,” she says.
To coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10, Ride Away Stigma takes place on Sept. 18 at the Nordic Legacy Park in Squamish.
The group mountain bike ride runs from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The event is more than Berman’s way of remembering her dad. It is also a way to open up about her own struggles she faced as a teenager and young adult following his death.
“I was 13 and I just wanted to be a regular 13-year-old,” she says.
By Grade 11, Berman started to recognize her own struggle with depression. She was hiding in washrooms at school, terrified that people would judge her and even contemplated suicide herself.
“At that point, I was wearing a mask every day,” she says.
Her mother saw her struggle, and another friend helped provide support, but for the most part she felt alone. Eventually, she saw a counsellor and started taking medication, and, as she got older, she began to feel stronger. Before she founded the ride, she spent time in schools talking to students about mental health issues and her experiences with suicide.
In a way, it’s part of a continuum that saw Berman get a master’s degree in clinical social work after she realized she wanted to help others, especially with some of the same struggles she faced.
“Counselling was the route I wanted to go,” she says. “That’s why I also share my dad’s story.”
Berman was recognized for her advocacy work by former prime minister Stephen Harper, and was the recipient of the 2014 St. Joseph’s Spirit of Hope Award and the 2014 Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention Freddi Ford Award.
Since 2014, she has worked as a clinical therapist with Vancouver Coastal Health in the Whistler Mental Health office.
When she started the ride, on the 15th anniversary of her father’s death, she wanted to do more to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide.
“Ride Away Stigma is a wonderful example of how one person can change things. We hope all Canadians will show their support and come along for the ride. When we all peddle together the journey is so much easier,” Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention executive director Tim Wall said in a news release.
Along the way, Berman has raised more than $55,000 for mental health and suicide prevention charities.
“On that day, I will be welcoming everyone to the park,” she says.
Berman has had help from sponsors at Greg Gardner GM to put on the event, which will include music, prizes and a barbecue, as well as the ride itself.
“It’s not a race,” she says. “It’s just a way of all being together.”
Proceeds will go to Sea to Sky Mental Health.
For more information on the event, visit www.rideawaystigmas2s.com or email [email protected].
