Justin Perkons: 2005 Courage to Come Back Award Recipient

Ottawa, Ontario

Justin Perkons, a 20 year old from Ottawa, has been living with schizophrenia for five years. In his first year of high school, Justin began to notice problems with his vision and hearing. He had difficulty concentrating, was tired but couldn't sleep and even his food did not taste the same. By the end of the school year, the changes were escalating. He experienced paranoid delusions and frightening hallucinations. At times he was unable to communicate and needed assistance with basic tasks. After suffering a full-blown psychotic episode, it was confirmed that Justin had schizophrenia.

Although there were no guarantees of when or if Justin would ever fully recover from his symptoms, his family stood by his side providing encouragement and support. Despite the sudden death of his father just months after his diagnoses, Justin continued down the road to recovery with the help of friends and family.

Since his recovery, Justin has shared his incredible story to inspire others, educate the public and advocate for improvements in the mental health care system. Shortly after his recovery, Justin agreed to participate in a media event at his hospital in support of the "Restructuring of Services for Children and Youth Mental Illness" and appeared on CJOH news. Since then, Justin has been called upon repeatedly to give a face to mental illness and his picture and story have been featured in various newspapers. Justin has been involved in several awareness campaigns and publicized events to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. He was honored with welcoming Premier Ernie Eves to an event and thanking Premier Dalton McGuinty for his contributions to a new psychiatric facility project. He volunteers regularly with the Schizophrenia Society and continues to visit high schools throughout Ottawa to educate students on mental illness.

During his recovery, Justin attended substance abuse classes to help him overcome his use of marijuana while taking anti-psychotic medications. Justin made a commitment to stop smoking marijuana and take responsibility for his illness. Justin has since returned to the classes to speak to youth about substance abuse.

Now, only five years after his diagnoses, Justin is leading a rewarding life. He graduated high school and attends Algonquin College full time. He plays guitar and enjoys snowboarding, skateboarding and just hanging out with his friends, many of whom stuck by him through some tough times. Although only 20 years old, Justin has dedicated much of his time and effort towards educating the public and helping individuals to cope with their mental illnesses. Perhaps it was best said by a 19-year-old high school student during one of Justin's presentations, "I think it's great that you are doing this. It took a lot of courage."