July 20, 2018 Hello ,
It's easy to write about a courageous person in history. Their ordeal is done.
It's harder to take a look at someone whose story is still open-ended. A warm, breathing person you care about who's drawing on all the courage they can muster without knowing how the next chapter in their story will go.
This week I'm sharing the story of Jessie
Ramey, a woman I met not long ago
on
my Fannie Never Flinched promotional
tour in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Last month she decided to go public with the incredible challenge she
faces.
I'm moved by Jessie's courage in choosing
to share her painful struggle so openly, and I hope it inspires us to work on fixing our "we-don't-care mental health system."
Parenting a Child
Who Wants to Disappear |
Teen suicide rates in the United States have doubled in the last decade, making suicide the third leading cause of death at that age.
For Jessie, this truth is more real than any alarming statistic can be. She wrote about her experience for Medium.
"There is literally shit on the walls of the bathroom. There’s no seat on the stainless steel toilet bowl, no paper holder, nothing that could be removed and used as
a weapon or to hurt yourself. Not even soap. I’ve visited multiple prisons, but this emergency room at Western Psych is worse.
A guard had to unlock the restroom door for me, and now he’s banging on it to see what’s taking so long. I’m trying to unclench enough to go, looking at the brown smears on the tile, and stifling great heaving sobs. My youngest son, my baby, my beam of summer sunshine, is suicidal." Read the remainder of Jesse's story here...
|
|
|
|
Bring Change to Mind is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
encouraging dialogue about mental health, and to raising awareness, understanding, and empathy. Onto a lighter topic....
Despite all the summer comings and goings I am trying to find at least a few quiet moments every day to enjoy the season.
My vegetable garden brings me a lot of joy and delicious tomatoes. I favor the little ones but this year the weather produced a couple whoppers. The lower one weighted in at over a pound and the other wasn't far behind.
I'll leave you with the beauty of Cottonwood Falls in Nelson, British Columbia, one of my favorite parts of our trip there in
June. It's a short walk from the open air market where you can enjoy breakfast or lunch while listening to music, then buy produce for dinner. Until next week... Have you read a great book? Tell me about it. Have a burning question? Let me know. If you know someone who might enjoy
my newsletter or books, please forward this e-mail. I will never spam you or sell your email address, you can unsubscribe below anytime with a single mouse click. To find out more about my books, how I help students, teacher and librarians, visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com. My best, Mary
Questions? Comments? Contact me at MaryCronkFarrell@gmail.com. Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. |
|
|
