P.E.I. man creates website for personal story sharing in honour of his mother

A Holland College student says he'sstarted a website to encourage others to sharestories of the struggles in their lives.

CharlesAondo, 26,said he wants people dealing withmental health issues, stress or family problems to have a space where theyfeel safe to share.

After seeing how people reacted or didn't react to friends' social media posts about mental health issues, the student said he wanted to be able to do more.

Judgment free

"Based on my experienceto, and just what I'd gone through, Iwas like it would be nice to have a platform free of judgment, a platform where you can post anything you want without any filter. Sort of like your raw, your truth."

Aondo, who is from Kaduna State in Nigeria,named the website after his mother, Ruth. She sent him to live in Prince Edward Island following the death of his father, who was the victim of a political assassination, he says.

"As a mom, she had this amplified fear that OK, they might be looking for the next in line. She wanted to take me as far away from the country as she possibly could."

Describing his mom as a fighter,Aondosaid she was a strong influence on his life until she died when he was 24.

"I would not be the person that I am right now if it wasn't for her."

No comments

Aondo, who is studying environmental science,said only a few people close to him knew about his family's story,the loss of his parents and his struggles with it.

"I did not want to let that situation control what I wanted to be or what I want to become in the future."

Aondosaid the website doesn't allow commenting because it's sensitive information, "and it just takes one insensitive person to comment on your story and then it sendsyou spiralling down."

He added the website gives people a place to go when they don't have the Bell "Let's Talk" Day or other options to share their story.

'My truth'

"Ruth'sis a platform thatencourages your truth, where you don't have to think too much about filtering what you type, or post, or want to say. And that's how my story came about. My story is my truth."

Aondosaid he wants to show that it's 100 per cent OK to show others what you've been through and not be ashamed to share it.

"It is sort of a healing process, being able to, because it gives you time to reflect, you go back and you properly think about what you went through and it gives you time to appreciate who you are as a person, it makes you become more gentle with how you treat yourself."

More information or to share a story, go to Tell Ruths.

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