An Awkward Fit

This book is the biography of Helen Maczkowiack's son, Stephen, who suffered from schizophrenia and took his own life at just 29. It captures the haunting story of a young man's desperate struggle to find his way in life. It features excerpts from Stephen's diary, which gives the reader a deep insight into his illness: the paranoia, obsession and flashes of anger, the unpredictability as well as the creativity and energy. Helen says in the preface of her book that her primary motivation was to preserve her son's writings. But as she became more and more involved in rewriting his story, she discovered that she could also promote mental health issues to support the development of more effective responses from community services and those working in the mental health field.

A courageous story consisting of diaries kept by Stephen who suicided and Helen's unflinching honesty that will touch the hearts of all readers. It will help to increase community awareness, help develop understanding, offer comfort and support to parents, encourage people to speak out, offer support to those grieving and help realize the importance of discovering early childhood differences.

Helen lives with her husband in Adelaide South Australia. They have a daughter, four grandsons. And a son deceased.

Helen has recently retired from full time work and is now doing only relief work in pre schools.

She has worked for the Department of Education in South Australia for over thirty years in early childhood, specifically with children who have learning difficulties and other disabilities. She has also worked in a speech pathology program for young children with speech and language difficulties, autism, emotional, social and behaviour difficulties.

Since completing her book she has appeared on several radios talk back shows and presented talks to many interested groups about her book. Her goal is to continue working with the help of this book to increase community awareness and understanding of depression and other related illnesses.

She enjoys writing poetry and short stories about real life happenings that she hopes to one day put into a book. Helen also enjoys travelling and doing craft work.