Elizabeth Manley shares story of overcoming mental illness in Whitby

[Artistic Skaters]

*** Olympic figure skater Elizabeth Manley shares story of overcoming mental illness in Whitby :
https://www.durhamregion.com/commun...story-of-overcoming-mental-illness-in-whitby/

“A lot of people only remember me as ... ‘Canada’s sweetheart’ (and) that great moment in Calgary (when) I looked like I had the world in my hands. Many people don’t know really what went on prior to the Olympic Games,” said Manley, who was the guest speaker at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences’ annual general meeting in Whitby on June 13.

 

[VGThuy]

Thank you for posting this. Elizabeth Manley is doing an incredible service sharing her story and doing her part to get rid of the stigma that is attached to mental illness.

This part was incredibly sad for me to read:

“He gave us some excuse that he felt he wasn’t good enough to take me to an Olympic Games.”

Many years later, she learned that he had been diagnosed with AIDS and didn’t want her to have to endure seeing his health decline. But at the time, the 16-year-old couldn’t understand how he could abandon her. She felt she had lost her skating career.