Who is a Courage to Come Back Award Recipient or Nominee?

Breakthrough

Winter 2005-06

Courage to Come Back Award recipients come from all walks of life

Recipients of the Courage to Come Back Awards come from all different walks of life. One recipient has walked the dirt roads of war-torn East Africa. Another has traded the gale-force winds of Newfoundland for gales of laughter in a television studio. Still others have been lost for years on the streets of Toronto before finding purpose in their lives. They come from many different starting points, but all have reached a similar destination: a point in their lives where they have met the challenge of living with mental illness and/or addiction and are now giving back to the communities around them.

Mental illness and addiction know no boundaries - they are not confined to a region, a class, a race, a religion, a profession, nor a certain level of education. Mental illness and addiction are equal opportunity conditions that can have a devastating effect on the life of anyone, anytime, anywhere. Captains of industry and cashiers are equally at risk.

And unlike many people who have a physical illness, people affected by mental illness and/or addictions are not immediately recognized as needing help. As Dr. Paul Garfinkel, CEO and President of CAMH, noted in a speech at the 2005 Courage to Come Back Awards Dinner, "funding for addiction and mental health problems is a fraction of that of physical illnesses. This means these problems are not researched as widely and diagnostic tests are not nearly as evolved. We have to rely on symptoms, which are often extremely varied."

Often, some of the symptoms of mental illness and addiction can push other people away rather than encourage them to help.

In addition, the stigma that surrounds mental illness and addiction can be a barrier to those seeking treatment. Only one-third of the 25 per cent of Canadians affected by mental illness and addiction will receive treatment. It takes courage to seek out help when society and those around you, your colleagues, your friends - perhaps even your family members - may blame you for your illness. Even more courage is needed to then use your experiences overcoming mental illness and/or addiction to help others.

A person who does this is a person who could be nominated for a Courage to Come Back Award.

Let's take a look at some past Courage to Come Back Award recipients and the different paths that they have traveled:

Roméo Dallaire
By publicly speaking about his own struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, Dallaire has become a crusader for others in uniform suffering similar stress disorders. A decorated Lieutenant General, Roméo Dallaire served for 35 years with the Canadian Armed Forces. His most famous command appointment was his peacekeeping and United Nations Assistance mission under the title Commander - United Nations Observer Mission: Uganda and Rwanda. The horrifying images and actions of that civil war have left Dallaire in a battle with his own mind, as a victim of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Now retired, Dallaire has written a book about the Rwandan civil war and genocide, Shake Hands with the Devil, and remains a strong and courageous leader in the reforms of the Canadian Forces' mental health system.

Linda Chamberlain
For over 20 years Linda Chamberlain was the "crazy woman" who people crossed the street to avoid. Sent from New Brunswick to Toronto at the age of 13 to live with her grandmother, Linda had to drop out of school to work to help make ends meet. Her family was ashamed of her mental health problems, which were diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder during frequent hospitalizations, beginning in 1980. This led to a break with her family and Linda found herself socially isolated, homeless and without any support to help her find the right medication. She turned to drinking to ease the pain of a life that seemed without dignity, purpose or hope.

With the help of a psychiatrist in 1993, Linda found permanent housing. At Progress Place, a community organization in Toronto which provides people with significant mental health problems opportunities to lead more fulfilling and productive lives, she not only formed friendships, but also learned how to read, write and count.

Since then, Linda has gone from strength to strength in her efforts to be an influential advocate for the most powerless people on her streets - people who have lost their homes, their jobs, and their mental health. She helped create The Dream Team, a group that organizes opportunities for people living with mental illness to speak to politicians and community stakeholders on the benefits and pressing need for more supportive housing in Ontario. And today, Linda works for CAMH as part of the R. Samuel L. McLaughlin Information Centre.

Mary Walsh
Mary Walsh's personal achievements are as remarkable as her career. As a child, Mary contracted pneumonia and was sent to live at her aunt's house. She ended up being raised by her aunt and uncle while her family continued to live next door. To escape her rigid Catholic upbringing and cope with feelings of abandonment, Mary turned to alcohol at 13. Although she spent many years dependent on alcohol, she channelled her pain into a passion for drama, and emerged a renowned actress, director and playwright whose comic characters are forever etched in the minds of Canadians.

Ron Ellis
Ron Ellis is a former NHL player and hockey great who helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win their last Stanley Cup in 1967 and played for Team Canada in the famous 1972 Canada-Russia series. Clinical depression is an insidious disease and Ron suffered from its consequences for a number of years, during and following his professional hockey career, slowly withdrawing from everyone around him into a feeling of hopelessness and unworthiness.

Ron has displayed a rare courage and sensitivity in dealing with this disease. He has used his position as a former NHL player, and his current role as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame public affairs department, to increase awareness of clinical depression. It is through the courage of people like Ron Ellis that awareness of mental illness, and depression in particular, is increased, thus helping to fight stigma, and assisting people in seeking the treatment they need.

Ron's appearance in the CAMH Foundation's recent Transforming Lives marketing campaign has further helped to fight stigma and to raise awareness that help is available.

Justin Perkons
Justin Perkons of Ottawa attends Algonquin College, enjoys playing the guitar, snowboarding and spending time with his friends. This life seemed out of reach for Justin only a short time ago. Justin was first diagnosed with schizophrenia soon after he experienced paranoid delusions and hallucinations. With the love and support of his family and friends, Justin entered treatment and is now able to manage his illness. He has been involved in several awareness campaigns to reduce the stigma attached to mental illness, has made presentations to high school students about his experiences, and has been chosen to greet government officials such as Premiers Dalton McGuinty and Ernie Eves.

Isyhta Gautama
After a childhood full of pain, then a fairytale marriage that turned into a nightmare, Ishyta Gautama returned to Canada in a body cast, having narrowly survived a jump from an apartment window. She had jumped in an attempt to escape 15 months of isolation, pain, drugs and abuse. She returned to Canada "morally, emotionally and physically bankrupt."

Diagnosed with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, her road to recovery started with a year's stay in a long-term recovery home. Ishyta has had the courage to change her life and continues to do so on a daily basis. She believes that self-love is the single most important ingredient to personal change.

Ishyta's love for other people, especially those that suffer, drives her in her community work. She is a member of a community theatre group called The Poverty Players that portrays real-life situations of those living on low incomes. Ishyta has also been a member of the Safe People Project, a program that trains community members as peer supporters on addiction issues.

Many journeys, one destination. If you know of someone who has overcome mental illness and/or addiction and who now serves as a model of hope and inspiration for others, nominate him or her for a Courage to Come Back Award.

Call 416 535-8501 ext. 4220; toll-free 1 800 414-0471 ext. 4220; or visit www.couragetocomeback.net.

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