My earliest memory of my Uncle Mike’s illness is not a very clear one, seeing as how I was quite young. I was about 3 or 4 years old, and my parents and I were visiting my grandmother one evening. The most distinctive part of this memory involves me hiding under the kitchen table in fear, as there was a lot of yelling and loud noises surrounding me. It appeared to me that my uncle and grandmother had had some sort of disagreement. After punching a hole in the hallway wall and/or smashing the television set (these occurred either on two separate occasions or on the same night – I wasn’t old enough to recall exact details), my uncle stormed out of the house. I remember peeking out the living room window later on, watching my uncle sitting on a neighbor’s front steps as he went over the evening’s events with his neighborhood friends.

Throughout my childhood, I went on various outings with my uncle. He would take me to the movies, or out to eat, or sightseeing downtown, and other fun things. I use to look forward to our excursions – we got to spend a lot of quality time together. But every once in a while he would cancel on me, sometimes at the last minute, and I’d always find out through my parents.

It wasn’t until adolescence that I finally learned what was going on – my parents told me that Uncle Mike was manic depressive, more commonly known today as bi-polar disorder. I didn’t really know anything about mental illness, so I tried to find out about it on my own (not such an easy task without the convenience of the internet!). I discovered that genetics were commonly involved, which caused me to wonder if one day I would also develop a mental illness.

Looking back over the past 15+ years and knowing what I know now, everything makes sense – the mood swings, the frequent absences and cancellations, the many times people would tell me “Mike’s not feeling well” or that he was in the hospital... Sometimes I feel bad thinking about how what I thought was a lack of responsibility was really a mental illness, but that’s what happens when one is not properly informed. I can’t say that I blame anyone for not telling me sooner – I guess my family was just trying to protect me.

These days I still think fondly of my uncle, who has developed into a wonderful family man with a “regular” life just like any other person. I’m glad that he’s got his illness under control, and that he hasn’t let it control him. I’m also grateful for our family and all his other support systems, which I’m sure, played a big part in helping him get and stay well.

So here’s to you, Uncle Mike – the “real Uncle Mike” =) May you always be happy and healthy, and continue reaching for your dreams.

Love your niece,
Sandra Giannuzzi

I first saw Mike in a psycho-education session at AMI-Quebec, in 1998. The topic of the evening included a viewing of Mike’s 1st documentary that he made in 1995 and a round-table discussion. I remember being amazed at how calm and well thought out his answers were, especially when he was asked about his future aspirations of being a father. A few years later, I met Mike again when he started working for AMI-Quebec, as the administrative assistant. One of his tasks was to perform bookkeeping duties. You cannot see, but I’m smiling right now. It was due to Mike’s perseverance and obsessive-ness about details that made him perfect for the position! There were times Mike and AMI-Quebec felt he could not do the job, but I saw potential, and I’m glad Mike plugged along (and Ella, his boss, trusted me on this one). Not only did he learn and understand all that was shown to him (credits, debits, payroll deductions, insurance, filing cabinet systems, bank reconciliation…. which is no small feat for a non-accountant) but he upgraded the accounting system, and put the books in pristine order. At the end of that first year, the auditors congratulated him on a wonderful job – there were no corrections to be made! I’m very proud of Mike (can you tell?). His drive to fulfill what he sets his mind to is inspiring. I have much to learn from him.

Have a wonderful day,
Giovanna Donnini