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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 31 ,2 02 2 | 18 ac.shcirteid ELLIVKAO-31#TINU.DRSREEPS0621 rennidretsaeruoyredro-erp erotsni enohpyb enil-no Clint Malarchuk knows what it's like to feel as if all hope is lost and there is no other option. The bullet lodged in his skull is a re- minder of his darkest time. The former NHL goalie says he is grateful he is still alive to help others realize that even in their worst times, there are people willing to help. "I finally got help be- cause I survived a suicide," Malarchuk said. "Well, you don't have to go there. Get the help now because you might not survive like I did." Malarchuk is the latest guest on the Halton Sui- cide Prevention Coalition's webcast. The author of "The Cra- zy Game," says every per- son he's met who has at- tempted suicide -- "and I've met a lot of them" -- is thankful to be alive. He un- derstands the feelings of desperation, though. He was living his child- hood dream of playing in the NHL, yet still struggled with anxiety and depres- sion. Both became worse following a life-threaten- ing injury where a skate blade cut his jugular vein. It would be many years before Malarchuk received help to deal with the trau- ma that caused. Instead, he dealt with it on his own by self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. He realizes with the help now available, and a better understanding of mental illness, it isn't nec- essary to suffer by your- self. "You're not alone. You'd be surprised how many people are going to go 'I'm so glad you shared that.' You've got to trust people out there are struggling just like you," he said. "So don't do it alone. There are so many resources out there now. Take that first step and make that phone call." Malarchuk said the fear of how people will react prevents many people from coming forward for help. "Does a diabetic feel shameful? No. So why is a chemical imbalance in my brain any different than a chemical balance of the pancreas, or the insulin production? It's just a dif- ferent organ, but there is shame associated with mental illness. We're get- ting better, we're getting rid of the stigma slowly," he said. "This is why we do this type of interview is to let people know there is no shame, you are not alone. In fact, there a lot of us -- I mean a lot of us -- that struggle. The sad part is most of us live in silence and darkness thinking 'I'm ashamed to tell anyone.' " The full conversation with Malarchuk can be viewed at https://hal- tonspc.ca/webcast NEWS 'YOU ARE NOT ALONE': FORMER NHL GOALIE HAS IMPORTANT MESSAGE CLINT MALARCHUK GUEST ON HALTON SUICIDE PREVENTION COALITION WEBCAST HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Former NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk is featured in the Halton Suicide Prevention webcast. Jason Bain photo