A series of coincidences led me to the Port Theatre last Friday night to enjoy the best show I have seen since the theatre opened.

Thanks to these coincidences I am also in the process of learning more about schizophrenia, other mental illnesses, brain injury and developmental challenges.

The week before Christmas 2003 Kelly Blumenschein was chatting to her daughter about the importance of self-esteem as she approached the Salvation Army kettle I was manning.

It turns out that Kelly works at the Columbia Centre Society helping people who are in the process of working through the challenges of schizophrenia. Quicker than you can say, “Merry Christmas,” I was booked to deliver our “Unleashing The Hero Within” workshop for her clients. The workshop grew out of this column and focuses to a large extent on self-esteem. I’ll be presenting part one of the workshop later today.

Coincidence number two began early last week when I phoned Eve Renaltz, a former Neighbourhood Hero, to invite her to our Neighbourhood Heroes party on January 29th at the Nanaimo Yacht Club. Eve manages Supportive Apartment Living, an organization that helps developmentally challenged adults prepare to live independently.

Eve was in the midst of icing a birthday cake when I called. The next thing I knew I was participating in one of the group’s long-standing traditions.

Just before the cake is cut, as they celebrate each birthday, everyone in attendance takes their turn to tell the birthday person at least one thing they admire about them.

When I joined the party -- there were two birthdays that day -- I learned that one of the birthday people, John Kapusa, is kind, generous, honest, polite, determined, jovial and consistently open to new ideas. I also learned that his friends are always happy to see him and that he never gives up on his dreams.

John’s response was that he would never forget what he had been told that day and that he considered the people around the table part of his family.

Tina Dodd, the second birthday person, is a student and part time employee with the organization. When it came time for her to be acknowledged I learned that she is kind, compassionate, has a big heart and truly cares for others without expecting anything in return. Some of her other gifts are that she’s fun to be with, brings great ideas to the table and has grown in self confidence over that past years.

Can you think of a family, community group or workplace that wouldn’t be strengthened by adopting this birthday tradition?

The third of this series of coincidences led me to the Port Theatre last Friday to see It Only Takes A Moment, a show written and produced to help reduce the stigma of mental illness.

Joelle Rabu and Billy Hicks donated their writing talent and forty-eight musicians, writers, actors, dancers and technicians (all local) also performed free of charge.

This show was the brainstorm of Ron Plecas who told us that he too has had his challenges with mental illness.

The summer before last Ron met Joelle Rabu at a downtown coffee shop and the wheels for this show began to turn. They speeded up even more when Billy Hicks joined the team.