Sean's Battle with Mental Illness 

  My story started out similar to the millions of people around the globe that suffer with mental illness and like them the only answers I ever found were written on a prescription pad.  

  After self-harm, a call to 911 and multiple hospitalizations (spanning a decade) a doctor informed me in 2005 that arrangements were being made to place me in a chronic care unit. What I didn’t know at the time was that a doctor and a social worker were trying to encourage my wife, Doris, to leave our marriage. They told her she was young and still had a long life ahead of her – one that should not include me or my illness.

  According to my healthcare providers, my symptoms were too severe, I was not responding well to treatments, and I had been sick for too long to ever consider the possibility of recovery. I was told I would just have to live with the illness.

Finding the Answers

  Then, in 2006, my wife and I found a medical doctor, (New York Times bestselling author and recent guest on the Dr Oz show) Dr. Don Colbert, who had the answers we were looking for – answers found in a type of therapy based on neuroscience research and testing.

  Thanks to the test results, for the first time I was able to see lab values that correlated to what I was experiencing.

  Dr Colbert and I worked together for almost five years to become what I am today – symptom and medication-free – and now I am determined to share my story for the benefit of others. 

What We Need

  Invariably, people reach out to us for help whenever we share our story. We have the answers that can help people recover-we need your help to share them. Your giving helps create opportunities to provide these answers.  

  We are filming a documentary that details the methods used to take me from severe illness to total wellness. It features interviews with the scientists and medical professionals who played a role in my recovery (see below for more details). A documentary is the most effective way for us to reach a wide audience in a short period of time.   

  The minimum cost to produce a professional documentary is $15,000 which includes:

• Traveling
  
  
• Writing 
  
  
• Filming 
  
  
• Producing
   
• Marketing 
  
  
• Distributing 
  
  
• Hosting the documentary online

  Contributions above our goal will be used for:

• Editing the footage for television networks, radio stations and post-secondary institutions 
  
  
• Creating podcasts from additional content not used in the documentary
  
  
• Covering travel costs to meet with Canadian government officials/policy makers. We have already met with a local party leader and will be accepting an invitation to meet in Ottawa with another member of parliament 

  We will connect with you and keep you updated on a regular basis via this site, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as we move through the production phase (see social media links below). 

What’s In It for You?

  Partnering with us creates the opportunity for you to:

• see candid team photos;
  
  
• view segments of the documentary before public release;
  
  
• see content not available to the public;
  
  
• receive signed DVD(s) of the documentary;
  
  
• receive a personal phone or video call from us;
  
  
• be a film extra;
  
  
• receive round-trip airfare to Winnipeg, Manitoba to spend an evening with us; and,
  
  
• have your name appear in the documentary’s credits and Thrive Mental Health website

  For complete perk details, please see the right side of this page. 

The Team

  In addition to our telling of the story, we have been traveling within Canada and the United States to film interviews with the following scientists and medical professionals:

Dr. Gottfried Kellermann (chairman, CEO and founder of NeuroScience Inc.)

Dr. Kelly Olson (pharmacologist and neuroscience expert)

 Dr. Stewart Wakeman (psychiatrist and university professor)

Dr. Don Colbert (medical doctor and New York Times best-selling author)

  The eyes behind the lens belong to Dave Wowchuk (cinematographer, director of photography, producer and owner of Artisan Media). Dave brings a high caliber of expertise to the project from a wealth of experience working with clients such as; TSN, NBC/Universal Entertainment, the History Channel and HGTV (to name a few). 

Other ways you can help 

  In addition to donating financially or if you cannot afford to donate, one of the best ways you can help us is to spread the news about this campaign. Please share the links displayed at the bottom of this page with everyone you know that would be willing to help. 

  People have a right to the hope that awareness creates, so please, give generously and help us to provide opportunity for change in the lives of those with mental illness. Let’s enable as many of our friends and family members as we can to live without it.

FAQs

Q: Will I receive a charitable donation receipt?

A: In short, no. We are not a registered charity. Part of your donation will be sent to a charity in your name if you choose the $200 perk. 

Q: Are you making money off of this campaign? 

A: No. ALL monies raised go towards the costs outlined above. $15,000 is less than the estimated costs. 

Q: Have you finished filming the documentary? 

A: Not yet-but we are making progress. We are reshooting Sean's interview, negotiating a second trip to Florida. We also have to film the B-roll/re-enactments.

Q: Are you selling the DVD for profit?

A: No, we are not selling the DVD at all. It is being created entirely for the benefit of people struggling with mental illness.