The 2002 Courage to Come Back Awards

			Living with Mental Illness and Addiction Takes Courage. The most courageous person you know could live next door. Or in your own home. Or work alongside you. Because one in four Canadians will be affected by mental illness and addiction during their lifetime. Here are profiles of the winners of the 2002 Courage to Come Back Awards, other nominees and sponsors. Our thanks to all. The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is piped into the banquet hall of the Westin Harbour Castle. Shown here: piper Ted Mercer; Reay Mackay, Vice Chairman, Royal Bank of Canada; Lynda Mackay, Vice Chair, CAMH Foundation; the L-G Aide de Camp; and Dr. Paul Garfinkel, President and CEO of CAMH.   The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable James K. Bartleman, addresses the audience. Looking on are his Aide de Camp and Dr. Paul Garfinkel. Master of Ceremonies Valerie Pringle opens the evening ceremony. Reay Mackay, representing sponsor RBC investments, congratulated the recipients and encouraged corporate leaders present to adopt policies conducive to a mentally healthy workplace.		En Français | Help | Search | Events | CAMH Library | Guide to CAMH | Donate Now You are Here : CAMH > CAMH Foundation > Courage to Come Back > 2002 Courage to Come Back Awards >   On this page Profiles of the 2002 Courage Award Winners David Adams Richards Leigh Robson Donald Crocock Linda Chamberlain Dr. Ian Boulton Patricia Morris Verne Harper   For further information Related Pages Courage 2002 Sponsors Courage 2002 Nominees Courage 2002 Poster Info / PDF Highlights from the 2001 Awards Highlights from the 2000 Awards   How to Reach Us

			Profiles of the 2002 Courage Award Winners David Adams Richards David Adams Richards with Lesya Balych-Cooper, Vice-President, Equity & Employee Engagement, Bank of Montreal, and Valerie Pringle. David Adams Richards started drinking and discovered his love for books the same year, 1964, at the age of 14. He started skipping school and would fight at the slightest provocation. When he did attend class he would arrive late and sometimes even sneaked a bottle in with him. Finally, David was suspended and then expelled. He was allowed to return to school only after he had taken the strap. David did eventually graduate and went on to university but quit three credits short of a degree to begin writing. He had a horrible time socially and never felt he fit in. Drinking would alleviate this -- he felt funnier and wittier. At age 21 David married the one woman who remained by his side throughout. Within a couple of years, David was drinking every day as well as taking downers. His wife said the only time she saw him happy was the second day of a three-day drunk. The turning point for David came while he was working on his fourth book and drinking began to affect his creative process. At his lowest point his friend Trapper suggested AA. For the first time in his life, David felt that he belonged and that he needed to belong. He did not drink for one month -- the longest he had been sober since he was fifteen -- then he went on a three-month long binge. When he woke up to find himself in the hospital, dropped off by a stranger, he called Trapper and returned to AA. This time David was ready. April 2nd of this year marked his twentieth anniversary of being sober. David says that a part of him feels like he has cheated something by being alive today. He thought for sure that he would be dead by the age of 35. David had no idea if he would be able to continue his writing career sober. The first book he wrote after he stopped drinking took him three or four years to finish. David found that his art has become more focussed on human suffering and rejuvenation because he himself has been through it.   David's work has won international acclaim and a number of prestigious honours. Most recently, his novel Mercy Among the Children was the co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize. In 1988 David was the winner of a Governor's General Award for Nights Below Station Street. He won a second Governor's General Award in 1998 for Lines on the Water, which makes him one of only three writers to win in both fiction and non-fiction. David's compelling account of his personal struggle with alcohol can be found in a courageous collection of essays called ADDICTED: Notes From the Belly of the Beast. Leigh Robson Leigh Robson, Valerie Pringle and presenter Gerald Throop, Executive Vice-President and Managing Director, Equity Markets Group, Merrill Lynch Canada Inc. Leigh Robson's struggle with severe postpartum depression and recurrent depression has been going on for almost six years. She was first diagnosed with postpartum depression in May 1996, two months after the birth of her son Dylan. Leigh was unable to look after her son and at times even harboured thoughts of harming him. In fact, there were only a couple of months in the first three years of her son's life where she could actually care for him on her own. Leigh was hospitalized four times over a two-year period, the last hospitalization being in January 1998. Basic living skills were a challenge for Leigh -- simple tasks like making a sandwich were too overwhelming. During this time, Leigh had suicidal thoughts and contemplated ending her life by jumping in front of a car. She also heard voices. On numerous occasions she had her husband hide her medication so she could resist the urge to take it all. She believes she came as close to killing oneself as possible without actually have done it. At the time of diagnosis, Leigh and her family were living in a small northern town in British Columbia. Because there was not adequate treatment for the severity of her depression and all their family were living in Toronto; Leigh and her family were forced to move to Toronto. It was an agonizing decision to move from a community and lifestyle they loved but it meant Leigh could attend a Psychiatric Day Treatment program while her mother looked after her son. In November 1998, after being out of the workforce for over three years, Leigh began the journey back to work with the support of the Centre's Work Adjustment and Employment Support Services. Slowly but surely, she began to regain her confidence and skills. Leigh is currently working part-time as a Recreation Therapist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Although remaining in the workforce has proven to be challenging, overall going back to work has been good for Leigh's self-esteem. Last year Leigh had the courage to speak about her experience at the CAMH Staff Disability Forum. By doing this, she has helped educate her co-workers and contributed to positive change at her place of employment. Leigh also speaks to other groups in hopes of dispelling the myths and breaking down the stigma associated with mental illness. Colleagues Wendy Nailer and Paul Kwasi Kafele salute Leigh's incredible courage. Rather than dwell on the pain caused by her illness, Leigh chooses to share the struggles, the challenges and joys of returning to work, being able to look after her son and taking control of her life. Donald Crocock Recipient Donald Crocock with presenter Buzz Hargrove, President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and emcee Valerie Pringle. Donald Crocock started abusing drugs and alcohol as a teenager back in the sixties. In 1975, he was introduced to cocaine and the downward spiral began. Donald's life eventually revolved around cocaine and he would do whatever he had to do to get high no matter whom he hurt in the process. He became alienated from friends and family because they got tired of the lies and the broken promises. Donald's lifestyle was such that he began to hang out with a local motorcycle gang and spent much of his free time at their clubhouse. His involvement with the criminal element of society was a result of his addiction to cocaine and even he was, at times, surprised at the depths to which he had sunk. Donald's family had virtually lost hope; waiting for the day they would get a phone call saying he was dead. However, his mother refused to give up on him. Time and time again he lied and conned her out of money but she always maintained hope that he would change. In May of 1989, Don found himself so despondent from his cocaine addiction that he contemplated suicide. But it was the thought of what it would do to his mother that stopped him and prompted him to seek treatment. Donald appeared to be a new man. He met a woman who later became his wife and they had their first son. Within a few months, however, Donald began drinking again and soon after returned to cocaine. It wasn't until after his second son was born and his wife threatened to leave with the children for good that Donald entered treatment for the last time in February of 1993. He has been clean ever since. Three months after Donald got clean he helped a fellow employee seek treatment. He had found his calling. Donald returned to university and completed three diplomas in four years while continuing to work full-time. With the blessing of his local executive, Donald started a Union Assistance Program (UAP) at the factory where he works. In 1998, he became a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP), a distinction in which he takes great pride. For six years, Donald has been a volunteer at the Niagara Detention Centre. He has also volunteered at various treatment agencies and for community organizations both locally and nationally. Donald was nominated by his wife, Laurie, because against all odds, he survived a long-term addiction to cocaine and alcohol to become a loving and caring husband and father, mentor to others, and a compassionate caregiver to anyone that reaches out for his help. Donald has enriched the lives of so many people and continues to do so on a daily basis.

			Linda Chamberlain Linda Chamberlain receives her award from Dr. Joerg Rustige, Vice-President, Research and Development and Medical Director, Eli Lilly Canada, with Valerie Pringle. For over 20 years Linda Chamberlain was the "crazy woman" that people crossed the street to avoid. At the young age of 13 she was sent to Toronto from her home in New Brunswick to live with her grandmother. Linda was forced to make tough choices almost immediately when in order to help make ends meet she had to work so she was unable to attend school. Frequent hospitalizations began in 1980 and provided various diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This resulted in a break with her family, who were ashamed of her illness. 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. The turning point for Linda came in 1993 when a psychiatrist helped her find permanent housing and encouraged her to go to Progress Place. It was there that she discovered she was important, wanted and needed. She began to work and to form friendships. She also learned how to read, write and count. Linda discovered her ability to reach out and now there is no stopping her! Linda is 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. Linda challenges them to see what people with mental illness and addiction can achieve given a safe, clean place to call their own. Linda's passion and commitment to improve the lives of people with mental illness and addiction led her to sit on numerous committees and participate in the Centre's "Beyond the Cuckoo's Nest," a stigma-busting program aimed at high school students. She has also appeared on television and in newspaper articles to help educate the public. For the last two years Linda has worked extremely hard to gain and maintain sobriety. She is now getting ready for the next chapter of her life, which is studying to become a peer support worker for an Assertive Community Treatment Team. Linda, in her own way, enhances the lives of those around her. She is an inspiration that one can triumph over adversity. Although she herself may not see it, the Board of Directors of the Supportive Housing Coalition who nominated her certainly does -- all it takes is courage, one step at a time. Dr. Ian Boulton Dr. Ian Boulton with presenter Stephen Shea, Partner, Director of I.T. Risk Management (Canada), Ernst and Young LLP. Ian Boulton developed anorexia during his early twenties while he was a graduate student in biochemistry. Under a great deal of stress and suffering from depression, he began to associate not eating with upswings in his mood. This quickly progressed to severe dietary restriction and a strict exercise regimen. Ian continued to starve himself for two years, until at six-foot-one he weighed a mere 98 pounds. He avoided forming personal relationships and hid his disorder from his friends and family back home. The turning point for Ian came when he spent an hour in the supermarket before leaving in tears because there was nothing in there he could eat. He also passed out in his laboratory after struggling to open a door. Finally, while visiting his parents and swimming in the pool, he watched his father, a stoic man, weeping at the sight of his emaciated son. Ian knew he wasn't well and sought help. The first doctor Ian saw informed him that men don't get anorexia. The second doctor Ian saw echoed the first doctor but Ian had the courage not to give up. Finally he found the help he needed from a psychotherapist who began treating him for anorexia. Ian had to learn how to become tolerant of his own limitations and to develop healthy ways to maintain control over his life. The road to recovery was long and difficult but Ian tackled it with the same commitment that allowed him to complete his Ph.D. during his recovery. While in recovery, Ian also began his extensive research of eating disorders in men and boys. He is committed to promoting awareness and dispelling the myth that eating disorders affect women only in order to prevent other men from suffering as he did in his initial search for treatment. To achieve this goal, Ian publicly shares his story of illness and recovery as well as the information he has gathered from years of research. His insights into his own illness and his willingness to speak honestly and openly about his experience have made him a valuable resource for health care professionals. Ian's personal experience provides him with a unique perspective and his message is one of hope -- that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things and that recovery is possible if that's what you choose. Currently, Ian is pursuing his dream of becoming a university professor and operating his own laboratory. His nominator, Laura Pacione, has no doubt he will get there. Patricia Morris Recipient Pat Morris receives her award from John Murphy, Executive Vice-President, Ontario Power Generation (left) and Don MacKinnon, President of the Power Worker's Union, and Valerie Pringle. Patricia Morris has struggled with serious depression since she was a teenager. Coupled with the abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs, she was forced to take a break from her studies in her third year of nursing. While unable to graduate with her classmates, Patricia passed her RN exams a year later in 1959. Depression, alcohol and prescription drugs continued to play a role in her life for the next twenty years. Patricia's work performance suffered and since 1979 she has not been able to work in the field of nursing. The years to follow were characterized by numerous hospitalizations, three suicide attempts, labelling with different diagnoses and the use of a multitude of psychiatric drugs. Patricia suffered from panic attacks and was afraid to be out with people -- she was unable to attend her mother's funeral. Her relationships with her family and friends became strained. She lost interest in her home and herself. By the late nineties, with the assistance of mental health community programs, Patricia was able to deal with her depression and anxiety. She overcame her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs by refusing to keep alcohol in her home and finally giving up her "stash of pills." Counselling by both psychiatrists and case managers helped her to manage her anger and improve her relationships with family and friends. When she was an outpatient at the psychiatric hospital, Patricia volunteered as a porter, played the piano and worked in vocational rehabilitation preparing laboratory kits for a local agency. Her nominator and friend, Lee-Ann Nalezyty, thinks that it was here that Patricia gained the self-confidence to share her thoughts, both as a patient and as a nurse, on how psychiatric care could be improved. She assisted fellow patients both inside and outside of the hospital to understand mental health issues, encouraging and empowering them to make decisions for themselves. Patricia currently edits four newsletters about mental health, which she sees as powerful tools for entertainment, education and advocacy. She has transformed from someone who had great difficulty coping with life, to an effective advocate and major contributor to the education of both those with mental illness and the general public. Patricia feels in retrospect that this illness has actually helped her to be a better person and to understand from the ground roots what it is like to be mentally ill and to know what her fellow peers at all levels of society go through in their daily lives. Verne Harper Elder Verne Harper with presenter Royal Williams, Regional Vice-President representing Manulife Financial, and Valerie Pringle. Verne Harper, fifth-generation grandson of Hereditary Chief Mistawasis (Big Child), is either 66 or 68 years old -- he's not sure because Indian Affairs did not always keep accurate records. Verne is a spiritual elder, a medicine man and a Native veteran of the Korean War. He has endured great suffering in his life. Verne's mother died when he was 4 or 6 years old. His father had difficulty dealing with her death so Verne and his twin brother were sent to live in a "white" foster home. Verne had a place to sleep, clothes and food but no love -- he never felt truly safe. Verne spent 5 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After his release he was angry and bitter, and heroin and alcohol provided the escape from reality that he desperately needed. Drug and alcohol abuse continued for years until one day Verne woke up in a gutter -- shoeless and a total mess. He saw a vision of his grandfather who was ashamed of him. In March of 1972 Verne made a commitment to himself, his grandfather and his ancestors that he would turn his life around. Verne has been clean and sober for over 30 years and he has blossomed into a man of kindness, love, compassion, caring and giving. Role models are very important in the Native culture and Verne feels blessed to have had relatives that kept the Native belief system. He needed a role model for recovery and now he acts as a role model for others. Verne works in the court system with Native young offenders and their families to make sure they don't fall through the cracks. He also works in the prisons with people serving life sentences. Through teachings, counselling and traditional ceremonies including the purification of sweatlodge, Verne helps inmates rehabilitate themselves. On weekends, for almost twenty years, Verne has conducted sweatlodge ceremonies in Guelph. Participants come from all over the province and from all walks of life. The physical and spiritual purification ceremony is one aspect of what Verne calls the "red road" -- a drug and alcohol free life, lived according to traditional beliefs. Verne says that as long as he can breathe and walk he will continue to run the sweatlodge. Jane Stackhouse is one of the many people whose lives have been touched by Verne. She nominated him because he is a "sweet gift" she wants to share with others in need of support and encouragement. Congratulations to all the winners! Mary Deacon, President of the CAMH Foundation, offers congratulations to the Courage award recipients.

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