Grieving mother who lost son in police-involved shooting wants changes in Sask. health system

A Saskatchewan mom has spent the last year grieving her son who died after an exhausting battle with mental health and addiction.

Carey Rigby-Wilcox is now sharing the story of her son, Steven Rigby, and the health care system that she says failed him. She has recently met with health officials and is hopeful changes and improvements will come.

Steven died on Dec. 22, 2018 in Saskatoon. Hours after his death, Saskatoon police confirmed there had been an officer-involved shooting, details of which are still being kept under wraps.

Rigby-Wilcox said her son had told her several times that he was planning suicide-by-cop.

She says she told this to his doctors and the information is written throughout his medical files.

“At this particular moment I don’t know if he did suicide-by-cop,” she said. “We won’t know until the inquest comes, but the whole thing with Dec. 22, I still don’t know anything that happened that evening. I’ll find out with the public. When the public finds out, I’ll find out what happened to my son.”

Rigby-Wilcox wants to know why her son was even let out of the hospital. Just like multiple times before, Steven had attempted suicide and was taken to the hospital for help. He was admitted to the Irene and Leslie Dube Centre for Mental Health, and within just 24 hours he was released.

She says she and her husband, along with her mother, pleaded on their hands and knees not to let Steven out of the hospital as they knew he needed professional care.

“All the other times he has had a gun, all these things, hanging himself, all these different attempts, it’s all in his files,” she said. “Why is he released the very next morning? It does not make sense.”

She struggles to figure out certain processes doctors took when her son was in their care.

She says Steven was an alcoholic and was prescribed medication that shouldn’t be taken with alcohol. Steven told her he was using alcohol to stop the suicidal thoughts.

“The suicidal thoughts from the anti-depressants and the anxiety medication made his thoughts louder, so he drank to take them away, but then he drank to find the courage to kill himself,” she said. “That’s addiction with mental illness.”

Steven was high-risk, according to his mom. He had been taken to hospital by the police, family, friends and even co-workers, after several suicide attempts.

“There’s so much proof that I have in my medical files, it’s very, if I can say, horrible or sickening,” she said. “The proof is there; he shouldn’t have been let out.”

She says doctors wouldn’t give her any information due to patient confidentiality. He was released from hospital and she and her husband weren’t even aware.

She is almost positive there will be an inquest into his death after the toxicology report is finalized.

She’s hopeful for the inquest, but says it only deals with the night of Dec. 22, 2018 and doesn’t take into account everything that happened leading up to his death.

While looking for answers, Rigby-Wilcox has blamed herself at times for things she said during her desperate 911 call the night Steven died.

“I totally feel that I messed up on my call and I should have said more appropriate things,” she explained through tears. “And I honestly feel like I killed my kid, I do. That’s my guilt.”

After a meeting with health officials Wednesday, she is feeling optimistic.

“I actually felt that our meeting was excellent. I felt that I was heard and validated. They felt compassion for my story and for what we went through as parents,” she said. “Honestly, in my whole heart of hearts, I feel like something positive is going to come out of this.”

She is hoping to change the health system because there are too many people and families suffering now who need the same help her family and Steven did.

“We need more access, we need more accountability, more information, more beds, more awareness, more empathy, more resources, endless amounts of more is what we need right now,” she said.

She believes her son left her with a mission and she plans to do him proud.

“Well, that was Steven’s — I hate to say dying wish, but that’s what he wanted,” she said. “He just struggled so much and he said, ‘Mom, I need you to help change Saskatchewan health care. You need to help it. If I’m going through this, what are other people going through?’ ”

Rigby-Wilcox has been tracking her journey through the website she created, Steven Rigby’s Mental Health Revolution.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has not yet returned a request for comment about the recent meeting with Steven’s parents.