A diagnosis of bipolar II disorder as a teenager didn’t keep Stella Ducklow from making her mark on the world. At 25 years old, she has touched the lives of many, teaching photography workshops to youth living with mental illness and working to break down stigma through her art. This fall, Stella will showcase one special project with an exhibit in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
Despite several hospitalizations due to her illness, Stella continues to be an active voice, participating in mental health forums and committees where she shares her experiences with others. A funny, motivating and positive speaker, Stella speaks freely about her own experience with mental illness with the hope of helping other people, youth in particular, cope with their own challenges. Her dream is to travel the world, photographing psychiatric wards to help shine a light on the state of mental health care.
“Everyone I know who has had the opportunity to get to know [Stella] is amazed by her perseverance, her positive focus and the fact that she just ‘picks herself up, dusts herself off and starts all over again.”
- Dr. Stan Kutcher, Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health
Nominators: Nicole Fraughton & Andy Cox, IWK Mental Health & Addictions Program, Dr. Stan Kutcher, Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health