Courage to Come Back Award for Bridgeross Author

DUNDAS, Ontario - April 9, 2019 - PRLog -- Erin is the second Bridgeross author to win this award. Sandra Yuen Mackay (My Schizophrenic Life) was the first. Sandra went on to become one of the 5 faces of mental illness in Canada as well.

Erin is an amazing young woman (and all my authors are). The promo for her book describes her life up to the time the book was published as:

The true story of a young woman studying neuroscience who, in her final undergraduate year, has a psychotic break, attempts suicide and ends up in hospital. Her struggles to get well and to pursue her PhD are described in this book. Her story is geared to people from a variety of backgrounds. As a neuroscientist, Erin reaches out to the medical community who need to hear this side of the patient. As a schizophrenic, she reaches out to others struggling with this disorder, hoping to draw alongside and offer empathy and hope. Finally, she wants the general public, family and friends of people with schizophrenia to be better able to understand and sympathize with those afflicted.


Since the book came out, Erin has begun work as a counsellor in the Vancouver Assertive Community Treatment and giving talks to doctors, nurses, students and families. Two of the recommendations she was given for the award were quoted in the Vancouver Courier.

Leanne Maylam, a nurse who met Erin when she was very ill said that I "met Emiru in the mid-2000s and consistently saw Emiru at her worst. Emiru was dubbed "Houdini" because of her uncanny ability to free herself from the restraints needed to prevent her from self-harming."

The pair now work together on the ACT team and Leanne added "I admire Erin. Through her courage, strength and tenacity, she has turned her struggle with her own mental health into a symbol of hope for those with their own struggles. Erin is not a 'schizophrenic,' she is a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a colleague… she is my friend." .

One of her clients said "Erin understands me like I never thought anyone ever could. She is so kind and patient and compassionate and with her help I have been able to finally learn that my best is OK and to live a useful life."

Erin is a staunch supporter of involuntary treatment which she once wrote saved her life.

When Quietness Came: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey with Schizophrenia, Erin Hawkes, is distributed by Ingram and is available in all e-book formats.

For further information about this book and other Bridgeross titles, visit http://bridgeross.com/