Christine's superpower is showing up.
Librarians have an extraordinary way of connecting people to the precise resources they need, whether they are completing their PhD, looking for their next novel, or browsing the internet.
In her career as a university librarian, Christine Taylor enjoyed the satisfaction of turning uncertainties into discoveries and questions into answers. Now retired, she uses her librarian skills at The Royal's Client and Family Resource Hub, where she volunteers as a concierge, greeting people and connecting them to resources, tools, and information.
Christine, like many of the concierges at The Royal, has a deep personal connection to mental and substance use health.
Shadowed by stigma, her adult son kept his substance use story quiet. He let his parents know that he was struggling and receiving treatment, but beyond that, he kept to himself.
As a natural learner, Christine stayed up to date on resources. She participated in family support groups at The Royal while respecting her son's wishes to remain private about his recovery. For years, she and her husband kept his secret but remained equipped to help their son in whatever ways they could.
Tragically, her worst nightmare became true. Her son lost his battle with substance use when he died from an unintentional overdose in 2022.
