Don Bodechon

541 Days Road, Kingston, ON K7M3R8, CA

The Reclamation Project: The Value of Living Life at the Helm

Stories of life in an institution and the voices that closed them

Don Bodechon

I moved to Southwestern Regional Centre when I was 16 years old. I lived with my sister but she told me I had to leave so I went to SRC. I had to wait for 3 months before she could visit me there but then my family would visit me once or twice a year. My brother came to visit me once for family day and everyone said we looked alike.

At SRC I lived in a house with 8 other people and I had to sleep on the verandah. My bed was as hard as a rock. I didn’t like it there. I had a lot of hard times. I had a broken collar bone and it was left broken for 6 weeks before it was treated. I remember people being put in straight jackets, given prn’s and given needles.

While I lived there, I worked in the horse barn with another guy working for me. Even in the winter I cleaned stalls. I was paid a bit for work and would spend my money in the canteen. I had a dog named Bailey who lived on the farm, and Bailey had 99 pups over the years. We would give them away to the staff or anyone that wanted one. I also had a horse named Smoky. I remember being in a Christmas parade with the horses.

In my spare time I would smoke, but I never chewed tobacco like many who did. I would also sit on a couch minding my own business. One resident swore at me and told me to get off the couch. I told her she would lose her voice and “Jesus, she lost it for several months!”

I had some friends at SRC and I had a girlfriend. I would get her ice cream if she was good.

I was in the band at SRC. The band leader told us that he was just trying to make us better, but he wouldn’t let us go back to the wards unless we played the song right. Staff were always critical. I had a job ringing the bell for mealtime and I stacked the dishes and cups and put them into the dishwasher. The staff were always there to make sure I did the job right. They were never polite about it. They were jerks. One time I was so mad at them that I hit a mirror instead of the staff. Another time I was so mad that I busted the nose of someone I lived with and then offered to take them “home” to get gauze to fix it.

The institution stunk. I even remember seeing maggots once. I sued them because they took advantage of me, and tied me up. Everyone should know what went on in there!

After I left SRC I lived in a mobile home. I had a bike that I rode to work. I remember making my own Christmas dinner!

Now I live with Community Living Windsor. When I first came here I had a job at ARC industries. We had a contract working on spark plugs. It was not a bad job.

I have learned to read and write. I have a lot more freedom and I can go to the show. I have a girlfriend named Judy. I like going to restaurants, playing baseball, and going to the Legion to play darts. Life is much better now!