Some children inherit the family nose. Autumn Stringam and her brother Joseph inherited bipolar disorder, a severe mental illness that led to the suicides of their mother and grandfather. Autumn, at 22, was in a psychiatric hospital on suicide watch; Joseph, at 15, was prone to violent episodes so terrifying that his family members feared for their lives. But after Autumn and her brother began taking a nutritional supplement developed by their father -- and based, incredibly, on a formula given to aggressive hogs -- their symptoms disappeared. Today they both lead normal, productive lives. A Promise of Hope chronicles Stringam's personal flight from madness to wellness. The true story moves from a kitchen table in Alberta to the offices of a distinguished Harvard psychiatrist, to the labs of a skeptical medical establishment. Now updated with a new afterword, A Promise of Hope is a powerful call for a new understanding of a mental illness that affects thousands of Canadians. About the Author: Autumn Stringam is the second of nine children born to a mother who suffered from bipolar affective disorder; she developed the same illness. The story of her remarkable treatment was featured in a one-hour documentary titled "Impossible Cure", which aired across the U.S. and Canada on the Discovery Health Channel. A s a public speaker, author of mental health resources and political advocate for the mentally ill, she has spread the hope of recovery to thousands of other Canadians and a growing worldwide audience. Autumn Stringam lives in Coaldale, Alberta, with her husband and four children. |