Holding the Sun is the story of a Canadian family’s desperate attempt, over a two-year period, to save their son from schizophrenia. The story took an even more tragic turn when Aaron Millar killed his mother Ruth with a ceremonial sword that had been hanging in their living room. The shock and grief of the surviving Millar family forms the backdrop for this in-depth look at mental illness and its many forms of expressions such as hallucinations, depression, paranoia, isolation and general confusion. Christine, Aaron’s sister, narrates her family’s story through her mother’s letters. In these letters, Ruth Millar stated her profound helplessness with her son’s illness and her frustration with a health care system that failed them both. In spite of numerous medical assessments and the diagnosis of schizophrenia, Aaron was never admitted to a psychiatric hospital where he might have received proper medical treatment. Could this tragedy have been avoided? Aaron’s family is convinced that education and increased awareness of mental illness and its various forms of expression are the key to avoid tragedies like Ruth Millar’s death in the future.
