You be you, I’ll be me.
should be. The journey of my life is to wake up in the morning and just to be me. If people don’t respect my values, I am not going to lose sleep about it. My reaction is: You be you, I’ll be me.” Having survived this nightmare of skirting the edges of death, Penny has a deeper understanding of the damage emotional and psychological stress can wreak. In her way of bringing hope and building up people and society at large, she has become a Mental Health Advocacy Ambassador for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG). SADAG is Africa’s largest mental health support and advocacy group. Founder and Director of SADAG, Zane Wilson, expresses her appreciation of Penny’s contribution. “Public perception of mental illness tends towards the negative,” she explains. “People often think that it is ‘the losers’
who suffer mental trauma, or people who are inherently weak or who are to be looked down upon. Unfortunately in our country, there is still somewhat of a stigma about mental illness. Because it can’t be readily seen, people fail to recognise it as a genuine sickness and shy away from victims. ambassador, she is helping to demonstrate that mental illness can trip anyone up, no matter who they are. In fact, in today’s pressurised, high-speed society, no one is immune. We believe Penny’s contribution is going to make a significant impact and help destigmatise mental illness in our country.” Penny concludes that “I now live a very fulfilling life, doing what I am passionate about and helping those who find themselves in similar misfortunes that I once found myself in”. Penny is helping to change that misconception. As an
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