My Story

Breakthrough

Winter 2005-06

By Michael Armstrong

Nominate someone you admire for a Courage to Come Back Award

Left to right: Andy Barrie, Host, Metro Morning, CBC Radio and Master of Ceremonies for the 2003 Courage to Come Back Awards; Michael Armstrong and Stephen Shea, Partner and Leader of the Technology and Security Risk Solutions Practice, Ernst & Young, longstanding Courage partners.

You know, when Andy Barrie hung up the phone after informing me that I was a 2003 CAMH Courage to Come Back Award winner, I became perplexed.

I knew that I had just spoken to him about this great honour. Yet another part of my bipolar self wondered, quite dramatically, if I was hallucinating. It was only when the CAMH Foundation called, days later, that I relaxed. Imagine having the whole of one's challenging life vindicated and celebrated!

Courage Awards are a demonstration. Anything is possible. Anything. They narrate stories of lives that appear ruined but which were redeemed by determination, love and support.

Let's spread good news. We hunger for it. Be part of something inspiring. Nominate a precious someone in your circle of persons. Being once broken is not the end of these stories. You probably know someone who is proof of this. Make magic for them.

These awards are about our country's hidden wealth. Find someone whose experiences are rich across the spectrum of life. Be beautiful for them. Nominate.

Youths and elders. From homelessness to military leadership. From hockey stardom to aboriginal healing. You will transform a human life. You will love yourself for it.

Michael Armstrong, a recipient of a Courage to Come Back Award in 2003, is an accomplished writer and speaker who excels at communicating the mysterious essence of mental illness to those who will never experience it personally. He is the author of a book of meditations called 'Stable in Bedlam'.

Each year, the CAMH Foundation honours extraordinary people who have overcome the challenges of addiction and/or mental illness and now use their experience to help others. Award recipients will be recognized at the 14th annual Courage to Come Back Awards Dinner, presented by RBC Capital Markets on May 9, 2006. Proceeds benefit the important work carried out at CAMH.

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