I must have been in my early twenties one day when I bumped into Mike again. He was in front of me waiting to use the ATM machine at a financial institution. I recognized him right away but to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I should speak to him or not, since all the horrible things that were said about him suddenly resurfaced in my mind. At that point I had no choice since Mike recognized me. We pulled aside from the ATM line up where we were standing and started to talk. Keep in mind that I still was unaware that he had a mental illness. We exchanged telephone numbers and a week later he was over at my mom’s house accompanied by this girl he was seeing. A relationship that ended for Mike shortly after his girlfriend’s family was informed that Mike had a mental illness. As for the two of us, we remained in contact. He is today the cousin that I interact with the most. I only found out about his mental illness a few years back. We were both in the car together when he said: “Joe, you know I have a mental illness right”? To me, it was strange since he seemed just like everybody else. The next morning, I called my mother and informed her about Mike’s illness. We both felt terrible because of all the lies that were said in the past about Mike. The good thing was that we were finally enlightened and were able to defend Mike when people said that he was crazy. Today Mike is a true model for me. I always go to him for advice on anything I need. He is a terrific father and a lovable husband (so his wife says…LOL). We get together more often then ever and I hope that it will last forever. He has proven that mental illness can be won over. His passion is to tell the world about it. I am sure that Mike’s Story will affect many lives and change the face of mental illness for good. Mike, I wish you all the best. Writing this article brought back a few memories and a few tears as well; I am here for you whenever you need me just like you are always there for me. You are a true friend that I love so very much.

Joe Iafanti
February 23, 2008

As cousins, Mike and I were often together when we were kids. I remember going over to his house and he would show me how to play with his video games. On other days, he and his mother would come over to our place. We would all have supper together. Most of the time we would pick up a bucket of Kentucky fried chicken and enjoy it with each others company. Mike being older than me, I always looked up to him then as I still do today. I remember the time that our cousins came to Canada from Italy. Mike took all of us out cruising into town in a luxurious car he had rented just for the occasion. He took us for ice cream as well. For a kid like me, it was simply the thrill of a lifetime. I still did not know at that point that Mike suffered from a mental illness. Along the way, we lost track of each other. I kept asking my mother, “Dove sta Mike” meaning “Where is Mike”? She had told me that Mike was very sick and had been in and out of the hospital. My mother having immigrated to Canada very young did not know much. People she knew had told her that Mike was a drug addict and that he had become a total junkie. Obviously the rumors spread and everyone spoke terribly about Mike. I was just a young boy and innocently believed all that was being said. I had also heard that he was so “into” the drugs that he had been placed in a recovery centre tied up in a bed in order not to be able to get his hands on more drugs. At one point, we were also told that my cousin had been possessed by the devil himself. Looking back today, I say to myself, “What were these people thinking”. The years went by and I had never heard about Mike anymore. (Part 2 to be continued next week...)

Joe Iafanti
February 23, 2008