We Connect with Jay McGrath
As we are always looking for ways to connect with our youth offering resources and real life experiences. We are very excited for this upcoming episode as we welcome local hockey player who formerly played SJHL/WHL/ College Hockey. D Jay McGrath is from Kindersley, SK. and is here to tell his story about his struggle with mental health and addiction over the past 10 years.
He decided one day to take a chance one day and made a post on TIK TOK about his struggles and from there his life has changed for the better. The outpour of responses and support he received was overwhelming and he then did a podcast, "Hockey 2 Hell and Back" and within weeks he was invited to do another talk....
Since then he has been speaking to schools and hockey teams trying to reach as many kids to stress that you are not alone and " It's okay to not be okay".
His stroy is raw and real when it comes to the depths of his own mental health and addiction. He starts with when he moved away from Kindersley at 15 and the pressures that caused his depression, anxiety, addiction to drugs and alcohol. he did not know of which way to turn and who to talk to and was scared of being judged...scared of being a distraction to his teammates and coaches....and scared of looking weak as hockey guys are always deemed to be"tough". All of these fears led him to hide his feelings with drugs and alcohol for 10 years.
Today...After 7 months of sobriety and being honest with his mental health he is now back at the rink where he is honestly the happiest, playing Senior hockey and coaching U15 AA, speaking engagements and giving back to the community as It holds him accountable.
His story can reach a lot of kids and he wants to share it because he doesn't want any of them to feel or go through what he had to go through.
Our mental health is everything! Join us and let's be proactive with our youth...