Hundreds mourn death of Annie Gordon, who devoted herself to helping others
A selfless life ends in depression, despair
Hundreds of mourners packed St. Stephen's Anglican Church in Kuujjuaq May 7 to say their good-byes to Annie Gordon, a woman who devoted her life to helping others but who became depressed and suicidal herself.
Gordon, 40, took her life May 3 while being treated for recurrent depression at the Tulattavik Hospital in Kuujjuaq. She leaves her husband, Toma, five children, and a large extended family.
News of Gordon's death, which Iqaluit mayor Elisapee Sheutiapik said is "shocking," devastated her family and friends throughout Nunavik and Nunavut.
"She was a very capable woman, very caring," Sheutiapik said.
Iqaluit city councillors observed a moment of silence for Gordon at their meeting this past Tuesday evening.
Sheutiapik and Gordon served together on council from 2003 to 2006.
Gordon had moved from Kuujjuaq to Iqaluit, her home town, to work as a policy analyst for Nunavut's justice department. She then ran for city council, her first try for municipal office, mounting a campaign to bring more Inuit representation onto council.
She received 944 votes in the 2003 election, more than any other candidate, including several incumbents with far more municipal experience, and was named deputy mayor.
After her council term expired in 2006, Gordon eventually moved back to Kuujjuaq to take on the executive director's job at the Isuarsivik Treatment Centre.
Sheutiapik said Gordon was a "perfect fit" for this position because she cared deeply about people.
Gordon's co-workers were stunned by her death. She had recently taken leave from her job at Isuarsivik to deal with her depression.
Encouraged by her family to seek treatment at the hospital, Gordon managed to complete what appears to have been a premeditated act aimed at ending her life.
"It caught us totally off guard," said Dave Forrest, the president of Isuarsivik's board of directors. "She was such a dynamic person."
And Forrest said the entire Isuarsivik team is only "more determined to press forward" with the centre's wellness programs.
"It's a huge loss, she was a wonderful person, but it's been a catalyst to keep going," Forrest said.
The news also shook residents who looked to Gordon as a sober role model, and provoked angry reactions from others.
Anglican minister Abraham Tigullaraq said on the community radio service that her suicide proves that recovery and healing don't work.
But others strongly reject the idea that Isuarsivik's programs have no value.
"I really believe people need to heal and get help. They're escaping into alcoholism, drug abuse to avoid the pain," said Sammy Duncan, also an Isuarsivik board member.
Gordon told Nunatsiaq News last December that she hoped Isuarsivik would become a beacon for Inuit who want to free themselves from alcohol, drug abuse and issues related to emotional trauma.
The Nechi Institute, an aboriginal healing organization based in St. Albert, Alta., is training the centre's staff to develop a program based on 13 Inuit principles for guiding clients through recovery.
"Love, caring and sharing are the foundation of Inuit values. I will learn to accept that others love and care for me. I will share that love and caring for my family and community," reads Principle 11.
This past week, Isuarsivik staff received special counseling from the Nechi Institute to help them deal with their grief.
Throughout her short adult life, Gordon, the daughter of Tommy Gordon of Kuujjuaq and Oleepeeka Gordon of Iqaluit, fought to make life more bearable for her fellow Inuit in Kuujjuaq and Iqaluit.
After growing up in Iqaluit, Gordon moved to southern Ontario to study hairdressing. Within a year, she was back in the North, where, among other jobs, she worked in Kuujjuaq as a counsellor at Isuarsivik and served on the Nunavik regional health board.
At the health board, as director for suicide and sexual abuse, Gordon helped develop radio spots and pamphlets on how to spot depression and prevent suicide and worked on other suicide prevention measures.
"It's a community problem," Gordon said in 2000. "Everyone should get involved."
Hospital director Madge Pomerleau said the hospital has an isolation room that is stripped of items that can used in suicide attempts. There, patients may be kept under 24-hour surveillance.
But Gordon was not staying in this room, nor was she on a suicide watch during her brief stay on the ward.
No investigation into Gordon's death is planned, Pomerleau said.
People in distress may call the Kamatsiaqtut helpline from anywhere in Nunavut or Nunavik at 1-800-265-3333 or 979-3333 in Iqaluit.
People looking for written documents with information on suicide prevention, in English, Inuktitut and French, may download them from this web site run by the National Aboriginal Health Organization: www.honouringlife.ca.
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