"When I reflect on my struggles with schizophrenia over a forty-year period, I realize that suffering is random. My illness was not caused by any failure on my part; it was due simply to a genetic roll of the dice - a chemical imbalance in my brain. Occasionally, I think of the time wasted languishing in psych wards; of the many times my life was completely devastated by the ravages of my illness. Obviously medication played (and continues to play) a large role in my recovery. Another factor is love: my love for my son which gave me a reason to keep struggling; the love of my gentle, patient father which sustained me through many crises; and the love of my sister, Heather, who never gave up on me. For every person like myself who has successfully battled a mental illness, there are many who are trapped permanently in its cruel grip. Yes, I have my regrets. But I am one of the lucky ones." About the Author: DIANNE BERKELEY-FRENETTE was born in 1949 in St. John's, Newfoundland. She lived briefly in Toronto as a young child but moved with her family in the early 1950s to Windsor where she was raised. After completing graduate studies in English Literature, she taught English as a Second Language for the Windsor Board of Adult and Continuing Education. Dianne currently resides in Windsor with her son Adam. She is an active member of a water aerobics club and belongs to the Riverside Library Book Club where there are lively discussions of her favourite authors such as Saul Bellow, John Cheever and Alice Munro. She spends part of each summer on her beloved Georgian Bay with a childhood friend. |