Jessica’s Story: Carrying the Weight, Finding a Way Forward

For as long as she can remember, Jessica Muamba has taken on a caregiving role.

As the first-born daughter of immigrant parents, she took on responsibility early in life, helping her mother after her parents' divorce and supporting her younger siblings. For Jessica, stepping in never felt like a choice but a responsibility. “In a first-born daughter’s mind,” she says, “you simply do it because you have to.”

From the beginning, her sister Joyce was at the centre of that care. Born severely premature, Joyce has lived with lifelong challenges that left lasting effects on both her cognitive and motor skills. For Jessica, the experience revealed another layer of struggle. She recognized the stigma around mental illness in her own family that is still common in many immigrant households. “In a lot of African communities, there is a huge spiritual aspect to mental health,” she explains. “They try to pray it away, but families need to see people with similar belief systems who integrated medical care and saw positive outcomes.”

In 2018, Joyce was in crisis. She stopped sleeping, ran away from home and began hallucinating. One night, police found her wandering downtown Toronto and brought her to a hospital that transferred her to CAMH. She was immediately admitted to the Early Psychosis Unit.

After six weeks of care, testing and trial and error with medications, Joyce's psychosis finally began to stabilize. CAMH staff worked persistently until they found the right medication, and that persistence made all the difference for Joyce. After many family conversations—and after seeing the positive impact that care had on Joyce’s stability and recovery—her mother came to embrace it as part of the solution. “Maybe the professional help was the answered prayer,” Jessica says. “After that, she became Joyce’s biggest advocate.”

Even with high-quality clinical care, Jessica saw the gaps. At one point, staff were unfamiliar with how to support Joyce’s braids and didn’t recognize the meticulous care and maintenance they require.

Since then, CAMH has prioritized care rooted in cultural understanding. Programs like Shkaabe Makwa and AMANI help ensure services are responsive and inclusive for racialized communities. AMANI, for example, provides culturally affirming care and substance use support for Black youth, families and caregivers. CAMH’s commitment to health equity means taking accountability and continuing to close gaps so everyone has access to the care they deserve.

In learning to carry that responsibility, Jessica discovered another truth: to care for others, she has to care for herself too. “The greatest gift you can give to someone you’re caring for is being the best version of yourself,” she says. When she neglects her own needs, she notices her patience wearing thin, a clear reminder to pause and care for herself. Exercise, creative expression and the courage to speak openly about her journey have all helped Jessica process both the weight of caregiving and the grief of losing her mother. These outlets serve as a reminder that her own well-being matters too.

This journey has also shaped Jessica’s voice as an advocate. She has built a social media platform where she embodies the character of Mama Africa, created as a tribute to her mother. She uses this outlet to speak about issues often silenced in immigrant households in ways that feel both comically relatable and still respectful of culture.​

​Her message is clear: embracing medical care does not mean abandoning tradition. “The culture is still there, it’s still respected,” she says. She adds, “If my sister were back home, they may have just called her a witch and she’d still be roaming the streets. That’s why advocacy, representation and access to care matter so much.”

​Today, Jessica can finally celebrate the progress she has fought so hard for. Joyce is thriving with the right medication and daily routine. She now lives with their dad, who helps with her care and takes her to a community Hub program that gives her structure and a sense of belonging with peers who share similar experiences. Meanwhile, Jessica is raising her daughters, advocating publicly as a mental health ambassador and breaking cycles of silence for a new generation.