By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
AN ENDEAVOUR Hills mother was selected as a finalist in the National Carer Awards announced at Parliament House in Melbourne on Monday.
Denise Damouni was selected as a finalist for this year’s National Carer Awards, presented by Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams on behalf of Life Without Barriers and Carers Australia.
Denise has been a committed and dedicated carer for her adult son, who sadly passed away in July this year.
Her son, who was only 31, had lived with dual diagnosis for many years.
Nothing could prepare Denise and her husband and family for the loss of their son and brother, who left an enormous void in their lives.
“Dual diagnosis is not contagious – people need to be empathetic,” Denise said.
“Families and people living with these illnesses don’t need sympathy – they need empathy and to be better understood.”
As a mother first and foremost, Denise supported her son through his health journey and has devoted much of her life to accessing the services and therapies he needed to stay healthy.
Over the past few years, Denise has been a strong supporter for carers of people with mental health and substance use issues.
She said the hardest part about supporting someone living with mental illness was the discrimination that existed through a lack of understanding.
Denise now continues to support her husband and daughter, and remains committed to finding ways to help others.
Life Without Barriers chief executive Claire Robbs said all the finalists were to be congratulated.
“We want to give the community a better understanding of unpaid carers across the country as they have such an important role in the lives of people they support,” she said.
