Single mom finds validation in writing

Julie-Eliane is in a better place than she was 15 years ago. The 45-year-old single mother explained that post-traumatic stress disorder prevented her from working, while other mental-health issues made her extremely vulnerable to manipulation and abuse. “I wasn’t in a place to fight back,” she said. Having cut ties with a violent, controlling family, she also needed to raise her son, now 22 years old, on her own, saying she “didn’t have any choice.” “To survive, I had to get myself out of that situation.” But in the time since, she said involvement with a local community centre has lifted her from isolation and has brought her a sense of validation. Now working for the community centre’s bimonthly newspaper through a program with Emploi-Québec, Julie-Eliane explores subjects close to home. She said writing an article about domestic violence was the first time she was able to open up about her experience. It also served as an opportunity to help others through processing their own traumas. “They’re not always aware,” she said. “We don’t educate people enough about this subject.” Despite her work, Julie-Eliane still relies on disability benefits, which means that every expense in her life needs to be carefully calculated. “It doesn’t provide me with enough money to live well.” She will be one of the thousands of Montrealers to receive a $125 cheque from the Montreal Gazette Christmas fund this holiday season. She said the money allows her to buy extra food that her regular $40 weekly budget does not allow for. “Not everyone is able to wake up in the mornings to go to work or to live normally,” she said. “(The gift) really, really helps.”