Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2098

Tonight's special guest is Tracey Maxfield, RN, from British Columbia, Canada, who says she's had a very interesting life story including childhood abuse, clinical depression, workplace bullying and suicide attempts. 'Escaping the Rabbit Hole: my journey through depression' is her first book and has received international rave reviews. "In a nutshell, I’ve been to hell and made it out alive," she explains. "I can show that despite experiencing horrific child abuse, you can have a good life. I can show that even after falling down the rabbit hole, you can heal and move forward on a new life journey that is better than you could imagine." She experienced her first episode of clinical depression in her twenties, and has lived with chronic depression ever since. However, nothing prepared her for the acute depressive episode she experienced in 2015. After enduring years of intense work place stress, harassment and bullying, she plummeted into an abyss of darkness, hopelessness and despair the likes of which she had never experienced before. Encouraged to write by a psychologist, Tracey began to heal and found that out of the darkness and despair, there is hope, there is life after depression. She has become a staunch advocate for Mental Illness and Mental Health Awareness and Bullying. She has met with teenagers ages 11 to 15 years to talk about bullying and mental illness. Tracey has made a commitment to make a difference in the world. Her philosophy is to Engage children and teenagers, to Educate them about mental illness and bullying and to Empower them to develop confidence and skills to continue to move ahead in their own life journey.