On Friday, May 8, Flora’s Walk for Perinatal Mental Health will take place in Fort Frances. The Walk aims to raise funds and awareness for maternal mental health in the Fort Frances area.
Kaylee Heyens-McMahon is a local therapist and co-owner of Northwestern Ontario Counselling & Consulting. She said perinatal health is an issue that affects mothers across Canada.
“It’s a Canada-wide initiative, and it’s named after a woman, Flora, who’s on our poster with her baby, Amber. Unfortunately, a number of years ago, Flora died after she had postpartum psychosis after having her baby,” Heyens-McMahon said.
“Unfortunately, Flora didn’t get the support that she needed postpartum; it went undiagnosed, and her psychosis went untreated. So what we’re doing with Flora’s walk is not only raising awareness of the fact that mental health issues happen in pregnancy and postpartum, but we’re also raising funds so that locally, women don’t go untreated for these mental health issues.”
More than half of the funds raised by the local initiative will remain in Fort Frances and help mothers here receive needed support.
“So this will be the third year, and what team Northwestern Ontario raises, 70 per cent stays right here with us in Fort Frances in my practice. 30 per cent goes to supporting these initiatives across Canada, but of that 70 per cent that we keep from what we raise, I’ve been able to offer one-to-one therapy for a number of community members over the last three years who wouldn’t have the financial means or insurance coverage to get one-to-one therapy.”
Some of the funds have also been used for maternal mental health groups over the last two years at UNFC Abinooji Gamig, the UNFC’s childcare centre, Heyens-McMahon said. “They’re therapy support groups, and UNFC has been an amazing partner for those groups. “
Heyens-McMahon says she’s expecting to see many of the families that have been able to avail of these services at Flora’s Walk on Friday.
“May 8, if people come check out the walk, it really becomes clear how many people, how many moms, how many families in our community, have been impacted by perinatal mental health,” she said. “I know I myself have experienced it, and it’s good to connect with other families. That’s what the walk is about as well. Just to see that you’re not alone, and maybe you can make a new mom friend, can go for more walks together. You can pick up some community resources. We’ll have information booths there, from the health unit and from other organizations locally that support maternal mental health. It’s about the awareness, but the funds raised, too.”
Flora’s Walk For Perinatal Mental Health will begin at the Sorting Gap Marina at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 8. There will be an opportunity to enter draws, and then guest speakers and an opening prayer by Elder Gary Councillor. Around 11 a.m., warm-up exercises will be led by Miranda Heyens, a stroller fit instructor and registered massage therapist. The walk will head out from the marina to the overpass and back, with light refreshments and prize draws.
To donate to Flora’s walk, visit the team Northwestern Ontario page at https://tinyurl.com/bp5976xh.
