Since 1994, I have been in recovery from severe and persistent mental illness. It has been a long, hard road to get where I am now. I came out of more than 20 years living in a nightmare that I thought I would never escape.

Recovery is an ongoing process that has to be worked on every day, and is a process that builds on every previous day. I love life, I choose life, and I choose to live my life in Recovery. Giving people with mental illness hope that they can recover is the key, and from there, letting them know that they have choices and can own their own path to achieve Recovery gives them the strength to succeed when coupled with the supports they need from treatment providers, friends, family, and the community.

A major part of my Recovery is my work helping others through advocacy with elected officials and law enforcement, facilitating support groups, serving on boards of directors for NAMI Dallas, NAMI Texas and PLAN (Planned Living Assistance Network), and being a spokesperson for Recovery in the community at large. I’ve had the privilege of working with all of these groups and of being recognized with various awards for my contributions. Giving back is my greatest source of pride and satisfaction.

I have grown stronger with every bump in the road, and there have been many. For many years, I was paranoid, suicidal and out of control. I spent those years being involuntarily committed to the hospital and living in boarding homes that were far from ideal, often rupturing my relationships with friends and straining them with my family.

My story of mental illness officially started in graduate school when I was working toward my Ph.D. in music. I became infatuated and obsessed with one of my professors and had the delusion that he returned my feelings. After leaving school and regaining my bearings for a time, I managed to work for a few years and sustain a relationship with a significant other. But my illness eventually took over completely and I could no longer feign a “normal” life. More than twenty years of hospitalizations, relapses, and failed relationships led me to Dr. Joel Feiner's Mental Health Connections Program in 1994.

That program, new medications including Clozaril, and a new therapy treatment program changed my life. From there, I became involved in the consumer movement, which has empowered me and shown me the impact that persons with lived experiences such as mine can have in helping others find their way to Recovery.

I have been a ValueOptions employee for 10 years now, helping others with their Recovery and modeling that Recovery is possible. We must all fight to reduce the stigma for people with mental illness; the greater our exposure, the stronger the message will be, which is why participating in events like NAMI Walks is so important. Every step is a strike against stigma. In the past, my family feared that each phone call would be about my being near death or having to go back to the hospital. Today, we have a wonderful relationship and experience the good times that all families should enjoy. The good news is that medication and therapy work, Recovery is possible, and respect and healing are ongoing processes.

The work we do every day at ValueOptions, whether it is directly with members, as my work often is, or behind the scenes, contributes more than we realize to make the Recovery journey of our NorthSTAR members possible. We can be the sources of the hope that is so vital to Recovery, and that can make all the difference in the lives of the people we serve. It is truly a gift to work at a job that has the power to transform lives.