Reed Duthie grew up in the east end of Hamilton, attending McMaster University & Mohawk College and now works as the Manager of Broadcasting & Communications as well as serving as the voice of the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Reed has had to balance his own struggle with a combination of ADHD & an anxiety disorder with his chosen profession and over the course of 15 years and continues to work at it to this day.

His story:

Dealing with a close family member who was experiencing severe depression but didn’t understand what was happening or how to deal with it. Over the course of several weeks, from my own experiences with handling my anxiety disorder I recognized many of the signs that led to myself getting help, disengagement with family and friends, oversleeping, irritability and general outward negativity from someone who is at usual a very upbeat person, I realize I needed to help them get help. During a late night conversation while this close family member couldn’t sleep, we sat and I listed how desperate the situation could be for them to get help after discussing dropping out of school and further disassociating with the world. I listed the signs I recognized in myself and how I saw the same signs in them. I pleaded for them to get help to the point of tears and in a happy ending after a very difficult night, they called their family doctor the next day and have been dealing with their mental health issues in positivity ever since.

I am so passionate about supporting in the mental health field because it affects all of us, either directly if you need help personally, or in a community sense if your family, friends or co-workers are in need of help. Mental health is a field where constant positive strides in understanding and treatment are being made but still need a strong safety net to help guide those in need to that help.