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

In response to Mike’s interest in my assessment of him, this is my view. Having known Mike since 20 some years, I have had the pleasure of witnessing some changes. In the course of my work life, I have dealt with many individuals suffering from chronic mental health problems, predominantly schizophrenia. Sadly, for the most part, the vast majority of these people are continually struggling to little or no avail in relation to the outside world. They have excessive amounts of difficulty in progressing on many levels that the rest of society tends to take for granted.

Mike is different. Here is a guy that although having been stricken with schizo-affective disorder in his early teens, he has an impressive amount of achievements to his credit. Though he had a rocky life in his teen years, it was due to his self awareness, maturity and perseverance that he has gotten to where he is now. After many painful years of refusing to face the reality that he would have this weighty problem for all his life, he finally fully embraced his illness and grew not in spite of, but somehow due to. It’s as if the illness was a wall hampering Mike’s progress in life which he somehow managed to channel the energy from it to help shrink that very wall to a more manageable size. In other words, because of the person that Mike is, he was able to convert (what to somebody else would have been insurmountable), into strength. In addition, Mike makes good use of his support network, never hesitating to get in touch with the appropriate or on occasion all in that network (doctor, community worker, sister, friends, etc.). By this action Mike is in essence nipping it in the bud before his difficulties overwhelm him.

To some, he could be considered lucky. But we all really know that you make your own luck. Mike has an amazing amount of energy and achieves a lot of good with it. He has a very organized and clear idea of where he wants to go in life, and he gets there.

It has been my pleasure and honor to have been working with Mike all this time and I hope to continue doing it for many more years.

John Stall
Social Integration/Placement Counselor
Forward House

The picture is clear. We as a society can no longer hide from these numbers. 55% of all salary insurance claims are directly related to mental health and one in 5 people will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime. At this rate it won't take long before everyone is directly exposed to mental illness in the workplace and in their private lives.

Major social and cultural change that we are all trying to generate is one of the reasons that I am so very proud of Mike and all the work he does in trying to educate others about mental illness. I myself am very lucky to be a part of this revolution or known better as the "RECOVERY MOVEMENT". I assure you that I speak about mental illness every time it is appropriate.

To all I ask: HOW DOES ONE EAT AN ELEPHANT?
Answer: ONE BITE AT A TIME.

To all I ask: HOW DO WE EDUCATE SOCIETY ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS?
Answer: ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

To all involved in this revolution or "RECOVERY MOVEMENT", keep up the great work. It is all for a great cause.

To all, have a great day and keep well.

Carmy Santoro

It is human nature to fear what we do not know and sometimes the fear is so great that we may appear uninterested. In my experience, sometimes it is best to let people come to you whenever they are ready. Unfortunately for some people this day never comes. It really comes down to picking your battles very carefully. Only invest the energy that you can afford to burn on teaching others about mental illness.

As far as work environments are concerned. Recent studies done by insurance companies reveal that 55% of all salary insurance claims were directly related to mental health, whether it be a temporary diagnosis or not. This number is rising fast. What a shockwave this is sending in the industry. I would not at all be surprised if the insurance companies soon begin to demand that employers start educating their staff on how to prevent all preventable episodes of illness especially mental illness. We all understand that this is a numbers game and the motivating factor behind these studies is purely economical. Nevertheless I challenge all insurance companies to invest in education and prevention of mental illness in the workplace. I am convinced that it will be a very profitable investment in the long run.
(Part 2 to be continued next week...)

Carmy Santoro