One of Canada's best-known Olympians will be speaking at an event to support the battle against mental health.
Champion rower Silken Laumann is the keynote speaker at the Mingle for Mental Health being held at the Caboto Club.
Pat Smith — founder of Stigma Enigma — says people may know Laumann for powering through a leg injury to win a medal.
"She is here to discuss her mental health issues and the battle she's had with them and how she's overcome the stigma of mental illness and also within her own family how they've dealt with mental illness," says Smith.
Cover of "Unsinkable" memoir by Silken Laumann. (Photo courtesy SilkenLaumann.com)
Dr. Janet Orchard from Maryvale says mental health is still hard for parents to address.
"Parents are much more comfortable with talking to their next door neighbor or their school teacher if their child is having any kind of physical symptoms, but if there's a component of anxiety or depression or if their child is complaining of other symptoms that for us would mean they're dealing with mental illness — they're reluctant because still of that stigma," says Orchard.
Laumann is also giving back while in Windsor. She has purchased a table for 10 children in the Maryvale program to attend the event.
Doors open at 6pm.