Sharing stories of recovery

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/04/2014 (3636 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five people from the Eastman region put on brave faces Monday afternoon as they shared their stories of recovery from mental health problems at a luncheon in Steinbach. With strong voices, they stood up in front of the public to talk about their experiences as well as the challenges they faced when they first tried to talk to family and friends about the issues they struggled with.

The event was called SOS Sharing Our Stories of Recovery, a program that stems from the Speakers Bureau developed by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

“According to Health Canada, 20 percent or one in five Canadians will personally experience a mental health problem during their lifetime,” said program coordinator Kim Heidinger as she introduced the program on Monday to the public. “In Manitoba, that statistic is estimated to be one in four.”

Judy Peters
Dan Friesen, Elsa Sydorko, Ann Thompson-Courchene, Kim Heidinger and Ken Reddig share their stories of recovery from mental illness. They offer presentations to schools, colleges, churches, workplaces, community groups and health care groups free of charge. Monday’s luncheon served as a fundraiser to help cover travel expenses and advertising fees.
Judy Peters Dan Friesen, Elsa Sydorko, Ann Thompson-Courchene, Kim Heidinger and Ken Reddig share their stories of recovery from mental illness. They offer presentations to schools, colleges, churches, workplaces, community groups and health care groups free of charge. Monday’s luncheon served as a fundraiser to help cover travel expenses and advertising fees.

The speakers have written out their stories and they have shared them throughout the region in the past four years at various locations. Some of them will be traveling to Halifax this spring to encourage more people dealing with mental health problems.

“We are here to better educate people about mental illness, to openly share our experiences, to help everyone realize that recovery is possible and to help reduce the stigma and social prejudice that is too often associated with mental illness.”

More on this story in the paper issue of The Carillon this week.

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