A keynote speech by Dr. Gabor Maté has been an overwhelming success, and it hasn't even happened yet.
Maté is coming to Chilliwack on March 3 to speak to audiences about addictions, depression and anxiety among youth, as part of a larger mental health community resource expo. He's well known as a best-selling author, a physician, and a renowned speaker on addictions and behaviour.
Maté will be presenting The Myth of Normal: Depression, Anxiety and Addictions from a New Perspective. The event is being coordinated by Chilliwack Local Action Team of the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative. When they announced the event late last week, with tickets reservable online, they were overwhelmed with the response. The event had been planned for GW Graham's Theatre, which seats 350.
It sold out in just a few hours, prompting them to search for a more suitable venue to allow more people to participate. On Monday morning, they announced that more seats will be made available online on Jan. 18.
The new venue will be at Chilliwack Secondary School, with the same time and day, March 3 at 6:30 p.m.
At a recent TEDx Talk in Rio, Maté spoke about the power of addiction, and addiction to power.
"My patients die very long deaths," he said in the talk. "They die of HIV, they die of Hep C, they die of infections of their heart valves. They die of infections of their brains, of their spines, of their hearts, of their blood streams.
"They die of suicide, of overdose, of violence, of accidental deaths. They lose their health, they lose their teeth, and in the end they often lose their lives, but nothing can shake them from their addictions."
But he also has a positive message of change and of human nature.
"Human nature is generous, community minded, sharing," he said.
The Community Resource Expo begins at 4 p.m. on March 3 inside Chilliwack secondary school. Doors for the keynote speech will open at 6 p.m. Seat reservations are through Eventbrite's website and more information is available on the Chilliwack Division of Family Practice's Facebook page.
Those with reserved seats need to be there before 6 p.m., with $10 cash for admission. At 6 p.m., unclaimed seats will be sold to those hoping for a seat.
Due to the popularity of the event, organizers are asking that anyone who realizes they can't attend cancels their ticket so it can be re-released.
Money raise through tickets will be donated ot the Chilliwack Youth Health Centre, which offers free medical and mental health services to individuals aged 12 to 26 at CSS and Sto:lo Nation.