It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon (August 16, 2023) when I first met Greg. I was introduced to him through Glen.
Greg, Glen and Murray are all buddies. Greg refers to Murray as his younger brother and Glen as his son. “We have people fooled, ha-ha.” stated Greg.
Greg is a sixty six year old senior, currently renting a room for $600.00 a month.
In 2019, Greg was in a housefire on 197 Verdun Rd, Oshawa. Eight people and two dogs escaped the fire. Four people were sent to the hospital with minor injuries. The others, including Greg were sent to Travel Lodge for three days, through Red Cross.
After the fire, Greg suffered severe PTSD. He feared that if he lived in a home again, he would become trapped in another house fire, unable to escape safely. He experienced homelessness for over two years. In the wintertime, he would seek shelter in a church from 9 PM- 5 AM. For a duration while on the streets, him and a friend slept in tents outside until bylaw officers kicked them out. During those two years, he suffered with a hernia and a heart attack at the age of 63.
Greg finds that alcohol helps him cope with his PTSD. He states, “I have been fighting booze for fifty years and I’m sixty-six. The longest time I stayed sober was for four and a half years. I had to stay sober for the family until I learned, no, stay sober for yourself.”
Greg also states, “Everybody in life has their own shit they deal with. Life gives us those little roadblocks, where you go let’s think positive! And it’s not always easy. The hospitals are supposed to help with your mental health, and yet they add onto it.”
He recalls a time when him and Glen were outside in the harsh winter temperatures when Glen noticed his health was rapidly declining. Glen went to the nearest clinic to ask for help for Greg. This is when they found out that Greg had hypothermia.
From getting to know Greg, I can tell you that he is very considerate. He would do anything to help a friend. While on the streets, Greg noticed a man had been stabbed. He placed the man in his cart and took him to the nearest hospital.
He is a kind and generous man, who would help anyone if he could. Greg has been through so much in his life, physically and mentally and yet he still has a smile on his face and helps out wherever he can.
It has been an honor to hear his story and get to know him and his experiences. As always, I hope you can see the human behind the photograph. These are real people with real stories.
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