Day 10 – Pausing to Ponder

There are all kinds of pilgrims, walking their own, personal Caminos.

Today is our rest day, and the two of us want to talk to you about something that is close to our hearts. We have family members who struggle with mental illness, and it makes their lives far more difficult than 500 weary miles on the Camino de Santiago ever could. They walk up steep hills, through deep valleys, and over rugged passes every day of their lives. Our feet and legs may be weary, but their hearts and spirits are strained to exhaustion. It is painful to watch the way our loved ones and others like them are impacted by something so arbitrary and undeserved as mental illness, yet we can have no real idea of the pain they must bear. What we do know is that they should not have to bear it alone, nor should they have to be stigmatized when what they need is to be supported in every way possible, by everyone who has an ounce of compassion. What they deserve is to be respected for the journey they walk with so much courage, despite so many obstacles.

We  hope you enjoy the video offered below. Mike's sister, Ann, is one of 11 selfless people who have willingly shared their stories and feelings to help us understand mental illness a little more than we do. Thank you for taking the time to view it. It is our hope to spread awareness and empathy wherever and whenever we can, and you can help us make that happen.

May we tell you a little bit about the two organizations we have chosen to support with our walk? Both have been instrumental in helping our family members combat the effects of mental illness. 

Are you aware that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for youth and adults ages 15-34? Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services has created a suicide prevention team that partners with UCLA Psychiatric Emergency Services to offer "critical and invaluable service to transition and reintegrate a patient back into his or her life once the crisis is resolved, providing outreach calls, follow-up services, emotional support, and ongoing safety planning" (Erick H. Cheung, MD, Medical Director of UCLA Psychiatric Emergency Services). "They kept me alive," said one grateful woman. "I don't know how I would have survived without them." A young man shared the same feeling: "Without this group, I probably would not have made it." Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services is serving its community well, and with our help, will continue to do so. What's more, suicide prevention and aftercare is just one of the invaluable services provided.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the largest grassroots mental health organization in the country. From its beginnings in 1979 (as a small group of concerned families meeting in someone's home to effect change), NAMI has become the leading voice for mental health in our country. It exists in thousands of communities across the United States, and we are specifically supporting the Santa Clara County branch. NAMI educates (families, individuals, doctors and educators), advocates (shaping national policy for people with mental illness and their loved ones), listens (a toll-free HelpLine provides much needed information and support to hundred of thousands each year), and leads (promoting public awareness through events and activities). NAMI-Santa Clara was instrumental in our lives by giving us the knowledge we needed to advocate within the system for the welfare of our family member. We took an 11-week Family-to-Family class, entirely free of charge, that has given us tools and information we could not have found anywhere else. It has been absolutely invaluable to us, and we are grateful.

A Plea for the Weary

©2017 Susan Noyes Anderson

Inside the mind, where spirit dwells,

there should be sacred space.

Inviolate, the soul prevails

to freely choose by grace.

Our thoughts belong to us alone,

as our emotions do.

We hold the power to shape our lives.

(For most, these things are true).

And yet, for others, options flee

as neurons go awry.

Gone is the choice, the equity,

when sense and reason fly.

No action fuels the storm within,

No justice brings the rain.

It simply pours, the consequence

of a misfiring brain.

And all the world turns upside down,

as feelings rise and fall.

A roller coaster of a ride,

with no control at all.

Their creeping darkness was not earned.

Their fears were never fanned.

Their light was simply stolen by

an unrepentant hand.

The hand of mental illness.

Will you join us in our fight?

We battle for the ones we love,

demanding what is right:

Compassion, empathy, regard,

and treatment that is fair.

Protection from the stigma.

Better research and health care.

Respect for their intelligence,

defense of liberties.

Acceptance by a world 

awash in eccentricities.

President Lincoln was depressed.

Beethoven had mood swings.

Van Gogh was schizophrenic,

yet they all achieved great things.

They suffered, yes, but used their gifts

to benefit and bless. 

Others who struggle do the same,

and we owe them no less.

We give each other dignity

and honor when we rise.

Lift others, and be lifted up

to see with heaven's eyes.

From such a view, we trust that you

will hold them in your hearts

and let them know you care,

with all the healing that imparts.

Thank you for following our journey!
Dave and Mike

Click below to support mental health services

and read more about the cause Mike and Dave 

are supporting with their walk.