LENNOXVILLE (AD) Serge Bourassa-Lacombe was back in Lennoxville last Friday, arriving in town early in the mor- ning from a trip that saw him cycle to Newfound- land and back in just over two months.

    This 41-year-old former psychiatric patient has garnered much media attention since 1995, the year he claims to have been unjustly committed to the Centre Universitaire de Santé de l'Estrie for a period of 57 days.

    Represented by the firm Caza Caouette & Associates, Bourassa- Lacombe filed a lawsuit against the CUSE last April for $1,888,000, claiming compensation for improper treatment, violation of his human rights, and exemplary damages.

    In July of 1995, Bourassa Lacombe set up a foundation to help defray the costs of his legal bills and at the same time allow him to continue being an advocate for the rights of the mentally ill.

    His trips through Eastern Canada and the U.S. have allowed him to discuss his case and the plight of all mentally ill patients who are wrongfully committed and medicated against their will. The former patient considers himself to be a «modern-day prophet» and asserts that God provided the strength and perseverance needed to complete the trip, having left Lennoxville with no money or fixed itinerary.

    He says that caring individuals along the way provided food and 

shelter.

    His goal? «I want to restore my name and prove them wrong,» he says.

    Because of his medical history, Bourassa- Lacombe says that he has been unable to find work.

    «Nobody trusts ex-psychiatric patients,» he claims. «God is using. me to teach his beliefs. The worst sin is to prejudge.»

    It took Bourassa- Lacombe three years to finally obtain a copy of his medical file from the CUSE. His suit alleges a number of omissions and errors in regards to his treatment.