New Brunswick crisis phone line to close, woman says service saved her life

Fifteen years ago, recently-graduated Arianne Gagnon-Allard was in crisis.

The sudden death of a close friend rocked her friend group, and then she had to adjust to life outside of high school. She was struggling.

That’s when she picked up the phone and called CHIMO helpline. She said the conversation she had next would save her.

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“First of all, she just listened. And I didn’t feel judged, and I didn’t feel like my problems in that moment were not that big of deal,” she said.

The woman on the other end told her she needed to call an ambulance. She did. But without that phone call, she said her crisis could have escalated.

On March 21, the John Howard Society of Fredericton announced the crisis line is scheduled to close — and for Gagnon-Allard, that’s concerning.

To learn more, watch the video above.