Cowichan Valley writer Teresa Schapansky knows how joyous and painful the chore of writing a book based on a true-life tale of abuse and survival can be.

The recent release of Don’t Tell, Troy Eklund’s poignant story of a childhood marked by sexual, physical and emotional abuse, was the culmination of a four-year process that had intense ups and downs. Work on the book began in 2019 when Eklund, a former classmate of Schapansky in Lake Cowichan, contacted her and said it was time to tell his story.

“I had an immediate flashback to 1987, our Grade 10 year together at L.C.S.S. in 

Lake Cowichan,” explains Schapansky, who has authored nearly two dozen books.  

“I remember viewing Troy as a strong, silent type of teenager. He was often serious and straight-faced, but I didn’t even wonder why. We travelled in the same social circles, yet we didn’t really know each other very well. 

“That was about to change.”

When Troy approached Schapansky about the project, she insisted that if she was going to be involved in telling a story like Troy’s, they’d need back-up to mitigate unfair scrutiny, all the while increasing believability.

 “As a result, contained within the pages of Don’t Tell, are contributions by friends and family members, and these passages form not only an important part of the book, but also add to the credibility of the content,” Schapansky says.

Eklund, by then in his early fifties, met frequently with Schapansky, sharing horrific details of a childhood shattered by abuse at the hands of a drug-addicted, criminal-minded mother and her lowlife friends. His mother, Teri Eklund, collected fees from pedophile friends who abused the very young Troy. Often drunk or high, Teri survived through any means necessary, resorting to dumpster diving, dealing drugs and shoplifting, constantly on the move from one community to another.

Born in Duncan, Troy’s mother and father lived in Lake Cowichan before splitting up and over the next few years Teri relocated often, whenever the locals caught on to her evil ways or a better opportunity appeared. Rat-infested, drug houses in places like Youbou, Ucluelet, Lake Cowichan and finally, Qualicum Beach were all Troy knew for the first decade of his life. Teri’s life ended in 2009 in Ladysmith where she had been living in a notorious drug house she had dubbed the Holy Smoke Chapel. It had once been a church.

Always, he was told, “Don’t tell” whenever he was beaten or sexually molested.

As the writing project moved forward, there were many gaps in the work, with Troy disappearing for long stretches of time. Occasionally, he would check in with Schapansky with good news of a rekindled relationship or a new job. But, too often, Schapansky knew Troy had relapsed into drug and alcohol abuse that had been part of his life beginning in his early teens.

Eklund and Schapansky had multiple face-to-face meetings beginning in April 2022 and lasting until mid-January of 2025 when Troy approved the manuscript. The plan was to release the book in the fall of 2025.

“In early April of 2025, I received a text message from Troy’s sister, Sonja, letting me know that Troy had succumbed to his lifelong battle with drugs, and was found deceased in a hotel room,” recalls Schapansky.

It was heartbreaking but not totally unexpected. A toxicology report indicated that Troy had high levels of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.

At that point, the book project could have died with the man who had been so determined to tell his story, one that had been driven by survival in the cruelest of worlds.

“Grieving is a process without time limits nor constraints, and I couldn’t bring myself to open up the manuscript from the time of his passing until seven months later, in November of 2025,” Schapansky remembers of that dark period.

When the time was right, Schapansky knew the project had to continue.

“The strength, the courage, the blood, sweat and tears. For Troy to stick with this book project and share his innermost thoughts, horrific experiences, and often nonsensical rants and ramblings with me was immeasurable.

“He completely bared his soul. My biggest hope is that the result of our meetings, Don’t Tell has done both Troy and his story justice.”

Often, that labour of love tests a writer’s limits, but meeting the challenges is what produces the most valuable stories.

“To say the least, the time spent writing Troy’s story has been nothing short of a whirlwind of emotions and quite the ride, but I wouldn’t trade that ride for anything,” Schapansky says.

Don’t Tell is available at bookstores on Vancouver Island, on Amazon or directly from the author at www.teresaschapansky.com

Warren Goulding is a journalist and author living in Ladysmith.
He can be reached at publisher@askewcreek.com
https://askewcreek.com/

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