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Dear Santa

07 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in bipolar, heroes, hope, mental illness, schizophrenia, Uncategorized, writing

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

bipolar, Christmas, depression, holidays, hope, inspiration, letter, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, schizophrenia, suicide, suicide prevention, write, writer, writing

Dear Santa,

There is only one thing on my Christmas list this year. I would like you to find two men and deliver this letter in a sealed envelope in their stockings. If they don’t have stockings, can you please hang one for them?

Here is all I know about the men, and why I want to give them this letter:

On a night back in 1997 I stopped my car on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, climbed over the railing and was hanging high above the icy water of the Puget Sound. A man stopped his car, came to the edge and said, “Give me your hand.” That man pulled me to safety.

On the same night, I took all of my prescribed medication and then drove my car. I passed out on I-5 between Tacoma and Seattle. A man stopped his car, tried to wake me, had difficulty getting me to respond, so he called 911 (I don’t know how as cell phone were pretty rare then). He waited with me, and tried to keep me conscious until an ambulance arrived. I remember him asking, “Is she going to be alright?”

Santa, here is the letter:

To the two men who saved my life,

You are directly responsible for giving me the opportunity to find the love of my life and experience 17 years of marital happiness. My husband and I are grateful.

You are directly responsible for giving me almost two more decades with my family (hopefully, there will be more). My family and I are grateful.

You are directly responsible for serving the elderly, the homeless, and college students in the jobs I have had since you saved my life. I am sure there are people whose lives I have impacted in a positive way that would be grateful.

You are directly responsible for the blog that I have been keeping over the last nine months that encourages, educates, and uplifts people living with, or caring for someone with, a severe mental illness.

You are directly responsible for allowing me to become and be a good friend to many people.

You are directly responsible for the woman I let get in front of me in the grocery line last night. You are directly responsible for the surprise, gratitude, and appreciation people have shown when I randomly bought their coffee or groceries, and for the neighbors who I have babysat for, made cakes for, and brought soup to when they were sick.

I am an average person, but in an average life, many people are touched, changed, loved, helped, and made to feel special or cared for.

I’m not going to save the planet or solve world hunger, but the past 18 years have been the best of my life, and I have tried to live with an attitude of gratitude and generosity. You made a remarkable difference in so many people’s lives – kept some from grieving, helped some find love, helped some find jobs, comforted others.

You never left your name so I could thank you in person, but I know Santa has his ways, so I’ll leave it in his hands.

I just wanted to tell you how much your choice on that night back in 1997 mattered. It mattered to a lot of people. It continues to matter. I am so thankful for the two of you.

I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy. Your kindness, compassion and concern have literally given me life. I don’t have anything but stories to share with you – I hope they will lift your heart.

Merry Christmas.

 

To The Newly Diagnosed

17 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in articles I wrote, mental illness, schizophrenia, writing

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

acitivist, advocacy, Advocate, diagnosed, hope, inspiration, letter, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, psychiatry, psychology, published, schizophrenia, writing

If you have recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia, please read my article up at The Mighty.

http://themighty.com/2015/09/to-someone-whos-just-been-diagnosed-with-schizophrenia/

Advocacy: The Time is Now

19 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in mental illness

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

activist, advocacy, Advocate, bill, bipolar, congress, depression, governement, hospital, inpatient treatment, letter, mental health, mental health reform, mental illness, mentally ill, psychiatry, psychology, psychosis, schizophrenia, words

I wrote a letter to my representative in Congress about the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. After I wrote to her, I read the bill in its entirety, and discovered it is a pretty good bill, but it has a couple of things that alarm me.

Changing the rules regarding HIPPA is a concern for me. I think allowing anyone access to another person’s medical information leaves too much room for abuse. In a previous post, I explained how my husband and I get around confidentiality in terms of my treatment by signing a waiver to allow my husband access to my medical information and the opinions of my doctors. We always arrange this as soon as we see a new doctor so that the doctor can keep the paperwork on file, in case anyone questions him/her about talking to my husband.

My other concern is a part of the bill that funds outpatient treatment. I’m not sure exactly how this would work but somehow “they” could force people to take their medications in order for the mentally ill person to live in the community.  It is called Assisted Outpatient Treatment or AOT. In theory I agree with this because I know that frequently if people would comply with their medications they would function at a higher level, and be able to keep their housing and possibly avoid a crisis. I said I was concerned about this but I am by no means completely opposed to it. I just worry about how this would actually work when transferred from paper to the real world.

I want to see more psychiatric beds available across the country and I pointed this out to my representative. There simply aren’t enough (not even close) beds for those that need this level of treatment.  I would like to see a big portion of the money go to inpatient treatment facilities.

I also wrote that it would be nice if mentally ill people were asked these questions and helped to draft these bills instead of always listening to families and advocates. I pointed out that many mentally ill people are capable of adding input and experiences about things that will ultimately impact their/our lives. I wrote this because I saw that the bill had the support of some advocacy groups that I find very offensive and questionable in terms of the rights of the mentally ill and in terms of how they present issues regarding the mentally ill. I can think of one advocacy group in particular that perpetuates the worst possible stigma surrounding severe mental illness almost daily in their social media.

I let my representative know that I am available to talk, e-mail, come to her office, etc. I have no idea if she would ever take me up on this, but it would be great if she did.

If you have a chance to read the bill, I encourage you to do so. You can find it online. If you love it, hate it, agree with parts of it, or disagree with the whole thing, I suggest you write your representative. Now is the time to be heard.  Even if you don’t agree with me, your voice is important. All of our voices are important.

This is one of those times when we can be heard about the mental health system in this country. It is time to stop complaining about the broken system and take action to fix it.  There is power in your words, experiences, and circumstances – use your power to make a difference.

Two Pieces Published Today

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by A Journey With You in articles I wrote

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

articles, blog posts, creative nonfiction, letter, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, psychiatrist, psychiatry, schizophrenia, writing

I love when my writing gets accepted at magazines, journals and websites.  It makes me a happy camper.

A letter I wrote to my former psychiatrist was published on The Mighty today.

One of my blog posts was accepted for publication today.

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