With Hope in My Heart
Musings of a Spirited Psychiatrist
by Francois Mai

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Rarely do we see inside the life and mind of a psychiatrist, but that’s exactly what we get in With Hope in My Heart: Musings of a Spirited Psychiatrist. With candor and openness, author François Mai shares how and why he ventured into psychiatry, the lure of academia, and his professional triumphs and troubles along the way. Educated in Apartheid-era South Africa, Mai takes his clinical practice across five countries: South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, the US, and Canada. Inspired by his time and adventures in these places, as well as his greatest influences, psychiatrists William Sargant and George Engel, this memoir is for a diverse audience. Readers eager to learn more about the history of psychiatry and its contemporary problems will enjoy Mai’s commentary and professional anecdotes. Lovers of religion and spirituality contextualized in a secular society will appreciate the ways these intersect with Mai’s professional and personal lives. With Hope in My Heart is more than a psychiatrist’s memoir. It’s a deeply intimate look into the life of a man who endures the death of a brother who had life-long schizophrenia, and himself had two life-threatening medical diagnoses. With themes of hope, Mai navigates readers through tumultuous terrain of spirituality, morality, politics, life, and death.

www.francoismai.com

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“The author’s powerful message of hope is vital in these extraordinary, war-tainted days. The book resonates because it speaks with the authentic truth of personal experience.” —Paul Grof MD PhD FRCP, Professor of psychiatry University of Toronto; Director Mood Disorders Centre, Ottawa. “[Professor Mai] recognises that trials and tribulations from trivial to catastrophic, can contribute to one’s psychological growth . . . This book is an excellent read.” —Jocelyne Kane-Berman MB, ChB. DCH. RCP(London) RCS.MA (Pub Admin); Formerly Chief Executive Officer, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. “Dr. Francois Mai …. has a great collection of anecdotal tales to tell. Apart from enjoyable, I found it very interesting and instructive. Highly recommended reading.” —Beverley Barron – Family Physician, Victoria, BC. “An impressive and inspiring autobiography by an author, physician, musician and athlete who left apartheid South Africa.” —Honourable R.E. Salhany, Q.C; Roger Salhany a former Judge of the Superior Court of Ontario. “This is a grand tale, spanning the 20th century and beyond, touching on many of its major events and their effects on real people.” —Thomas E. Feasby CM BSc (Med) MD DSc (Hon) FRCPC Professor of Neurology and Past Dean, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.

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François Mai is the author of Diagnosing Genius: The Life and Death of Beethoven (McGill-Queens University Press, 2007) and Father, Unknown (Austin Macauley Publishers, 2017). His memoir about his career as a cyclist is almost ready for publication. For over fifty years, François practiced psychiatry in five different countries until retiring in 2014. He has written over 150 papers, many of which have appeared in peer-reviewed international medical and psychiatric journals. François is a member of the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Psychiatric Association, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Britannia Yacht Club in Ottawa, Ontario. When he’s not crafting his next book, François enjoys cycling and swimming. François and his wife of sixty-two years and counting, Sarah Roelofse, divide their time between Victoria, British Columbia and Ottawa, Ontario. They have four adult sons and eleven grandchildren. You can follow his activities and keep up to date on his recent works by visiting www.francoismai.com.

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Contributors

Author

Francois Mai

Editor

Phil Jenkins

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