Updates
SBS News Facebook
SBS New Facebook Breakthrough and multicultural communities mental health.
Bio
Born in Macedonia, Katerina realised from an early age that her life was going to be more challenging than most. Katerina and her family struggled, not only with her mother’s schizophrenia, but also with the burden of the judgemental attitudes of people in their community.
Determined to improve her family’s quality of life, Katerina graduated in nursing from a secondary medical school. After graduation, with the help of her extended family in Australia, Katerina immigrated to Melbourne for further studies; after arriving, she realised that she wanted to study community support services for people with mental illness. Katerina graduated with a Diploma of Community Services Work and, during her studies, fell in love with the Australian way of life and decided to make Melbourne her new home. After years of working in community service, supporting people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness, Katerina realised that she was living in her grief and needed a change.
Currently, Katerina is working as an administrative assistant for the Health Independence Program at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Born in Macedonia, Katerina realised from an early age that her life was going to be more challenging than most. Katerina and her family struggled, not only with her mother’s schizophrenia, but also with the burden of the judgemental attitudes of people in their community.
Determined to improve her family’s quality of life, Katerina graduated in nursing from a secondary medical school. After graduation, with the help of her extended family in Australia, Katerina immigrated to Melbourne for further studies; after arriving, she realised that she wanted to study community support services for people with mental illness. Katerina graduated with a Diploma of Community Services Work and,
during her studies, fell in love with the Australian way of life and decided to make Melbourne her new home. After years of working in community service, supporting people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness, Katerina realised that she was living in her grief and needed a change.
Currently, Katerina is working as an administrative assistant for the Health Independence Program at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Throughout her life, Katerina has always turned to her notebook to consolidate her thoughts and feelings; writing Breakthrough gave her the opportunity to re-evaluate the way she sees the world and the way she lives her life. Katerina is sharing her story in hope of raising awareness of the effects of mental illness on both individuals and families. She hopes to encourage acceptance, compassion and kindness towards those experiencing and living with mental illness.
Gallery
Katerina’s parents at their wedding day beginning their happily ever after.
Little did they know that their lives would be different to what they had envisioned. Mental illness does not discriminate. It can affect the most happiest of people and their closest in most unexpected and devastating ways.
The only photo of Katerina and her brother Nikola as toddlers.
Katerina’s only childhood memory of their mother taking them somewhere. She remembers when this photo was taken, and photographer telling her brother to stay still so he could see the flying birdy that would come out of the camera. They were twenty-eight and thirteen months old.
Nikola got this tattoo done when he was 19.
Nikola and Katerina share unshakable bond. They grew stronger and closer during their most challenging days with their mother’s mental illness.
Katerina and her family have never taken a photo of only the four of them.
Their family portrait photo is yet to be.
Breakthrough is also available at other stores