“Schizophrenia Survivors” are people who have overcome schizophrenia, and we are proud of it. Some of our Survivors have offered their contact information, and are available to answer your questions and offer you encouragement.
– Bethany Yeiser, President, CURESZ Foundation
Cecilia McGough
Cecilia McGough is a mental health activist, writer, and radio astronomer located in the United States and does not let having schizophrenia define her. Cecilia is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the nonprofit Students with Schizophrenia.
Lauren Kennedy
Lauren lives with the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. She is a social worker, and is currently in school to work toward her Masters of Science in Health Policy Research.
Laurie Russell
Laurie views herself not as a psychiatric patient but first and foremost as a researcher who stands on equal footing with everyone else at her stage of the academic career.
Max Guttman
Max Guttman is the owner of Recovery Now, a private mental health practice in Ardsley, New York. Max’s battle with schizophrenia began at Binghamton University in his last semester of college.
Carlos Larrauri
Carlos A. Larrauri M.S.N., A.R.N.P., F.N.P.-B.C. serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 23 years of age. Mr. Larrauri aspires to interface clinical practice, health policy and research, to reduce health inequities for people living with mental illness.
Michelle Hammer
Michelle Hammer is the founder of Schizophrenic.NYC, a clothing line that fights the stigma surrounding schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.
Nina Dotson
Nina Dotson has eight years of experience working in behavioral therapy, and is certified in many different forms of behavioral intervention techniques. She holds a bachelor’s degree from DeSales University.
Bill MacPhee
The future looked bright for Bill, already living his dream. Five years later, Bill was living a nightmare, pacing a psychiatric ward, trapped in a world of illusions, delusions, paranoia and depression. Today, he is known as a “schizophrenia recovery expert.”
Brandon Staglin
Brandon Staglin is director of marketing and communications for Staglin Family Vineyard, and serves on the Board of Directors of One Mind.
William Jiang
William suffered a severe paranoid psychotic break at nineteen years of age. Fighting the odds, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and went on to complete his Master’s of Library Science degree from Queens College in 1999.
Amber Pillars
Amber was young and successful, but she began a steady decline. At first, she showed symptoms of depression, which would quickly spin out of control, and into psychosis. Today, recovered for over eleven years, she works assisting special needs children.
Sharon Marshall
Sharon holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs (1999) and a master’s degree in City Planning (2002). Currently, she is employed by the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network. She finds fulfillment in her work helping others.
Rebecca Chamaa
Rebecca Chamaa graduated with a liberal arts degree from Evergreen State College in 1989. Originally from Washington state, she attended an American high school in Cairo, Egypt, where she met her future husband.
Ravi Sarin
Ravi Sarin is 48 years old. Despite being diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 16, he has enjoyed 26 years of thriving life. Today, as a member of an ACT team, he helps people with mental illness find the treatment they need to rebuild their lives.
Ashley Smith
Ashley Smith, author, peer counselor, and mother lives a quality life with schizophrenia.
Victoria Marie Alonso
Victoria Marie Alonso is married and the mother of three adult children. She developed schizophrenia as an adult. In her memoir, My Personal Recovery from Schizophrenia, she describes the onset of schizophrenia as receiving messages from God which she was unable to ignore.
Susan Weiner
Confused, delusional and psychotic, Susan dropped out of her graduate program. Delusional, she once believed she had embarked on a quest to save the United States from a terrible holocaust, perpetrated by an evil dictator. Today, recovered for many years, she lives an ordinary life.
If you would like more information about Schizophrenia Survivors, please contact Bethany Yeiser, at bethany.yeiser@curesz.org.
Every personal story of recovery from schizophrenia is unique, and a needed contribution.
Disclaimer: Schizophrenia Survivors are not representatives of the CURESZ Foundation.