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By John Bkila OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Yogathon gives peace of mind to those in need paranoia, anger, violence, public outbursts and extreme hibernation. "Really, (I had) a lot of confusion. I wasn't sure what was going on and I didn't really have a lot of background on what mental illness was," she said. It's mainly for that reason that Caballero is taking part in the seventh annual Peace of Minds Yogathon for Schizophrenia on Feb. 25. The event benefits the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario (SSO) Halton/Peel -- particularly its youth engagement initiative, which helps youths and youth workers identify the signs and symptoms of psychosis, understand the importance of getting help early, and encouraging them to fight the stigma associated with schizophrenia by speaking out against myths related to it. Schizophrenia is a brain disease that is twice as prevalent as Alzheimer's disease and six times 7 · Wednesday, February 22, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com It's a mental illness that claims a person's life while they are still alive. That's how Pauline Caballero describes her family's experience with schizophrenia. "It's really a disease that strips people of their personality, of who they were... and you lose the person you once knew," she said. Caballero says she first encountered the mental illness when a family member was in their early 20s and began exhibiting moments of as prevalent as insulin-dependent diabetes. It affects one in 100 people -- approximately 300,000 in Canada and 130,000 in Ontario. The SSO website describes it as a, "psychotic disorder, which involves a loss of contact with reality, making it very hard for a person to distinguish between what is real and what is not. Schizophrenia greatly alters how a person thinks and perceives the world, and consequently how they feel and behave." Often misunderstood, schizophrenia strikes people in their prime, usually in their late teens See Yogathon page 13 We're putting life-saving AED's in more public places in your community. · more fun! · self confidence! · meet people! · grace & poise! 5 LESSONS for $ By yourself or with a partner. New Students Over 21 Only. special offer 25 225 Lakeshore Rd. E. (2nd Floor) between Dunn St. and George St. OAKVILLE 1092 Main Street W. near Cline Ave. HAMILTON THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT YOUR HEART INTO IT.TM www.fredastaire.ca 905-815-3237 905-522-3237 www.heartandstroke.ca CHARTWELL CLASSIC OAKVILLE Please Join us for our 3rd Annual Cooking Demonstration! Tuesday February 28th at 7:00pm at Chartwell Classic Oakville Join us as we welcome our new Chef Anna to show off her talents in the kitchen. We will also be pairing each course with wine and providing you with copies of each recipe for you to take home! Please contact Jaime or Mike at 905-257-0095 if you are interested. Book soon as space is limited! 180 Oak Park Blvd., Oakville 905-257-0095 www.chartwellreit.ca