Belonging in the DTES: 100 men and women love me for me

By Brian Smith


"So one day after my divorce I'm sitting and thinking, oh my god, what's going to happen if I go to hell because nobody loves me? So I made a wish. I said please let me be somewhere where a hundred people will say I love you. And it was here [Downtown Eastside of Vancouver]. Everyday somebody says I love you or people on the street blow me kisses or touch their heart, you know, from across the street and these are signs that mean I love you. I don't know what I did to my parents for them to hate me, but let me tell you this: being here, around people that love me is everything. I'm probably going to die alone, but I know that one hundred men and women love me for me. I tell you, this is the place I got my wish." Helen Hill (bottom)