Author and actress Mariel Hemingway shared her family's story of suicide and mental health struggles at this year's Breakfast of Champions in London.
Hemingway detailed her struggle with depression and how she dealt with her sister's suicide. Mariel is the granddaughter of writer Ernest Hemingway, who also ended his own life.
She has made it her mission to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and wellness by talking about her personal and family struggles.
"It's a slow process, but just like we didn't talk about heart disease, cancer, alcoholism or AIDS, that's all in the past. I think we're on the tipping point of making mental illness just part of our vernacular," says Hemingway. "We have to educate more educated people to be able to deal with those struggling, especially our veterans, they are all dealing with mental health issues."
This year's Breakfast of Champions, hosted by the Canadian Middlesex Health Association and St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation, had about 1,200 people in attendance.