Calgary Herald Christmas Fund 2016: 'Toxic stress' can impair a child for life [CalgaryHerald.com]
Watching mommy and daddy tear each other apart emotionally and often physically has left battle scars on David and his little sister, Amelia. The five-year-old boy now struggles with severe emotional and social problems, including anxiety and oppositional defiance disorder. He and his mom, Ayla Tennant, 29, are learning how to cope with the aftermath through programs at Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS). “We had a serious abusive relationship and David unfortunately witnessed a lot of it.