An Open Letter to Responsible Gun Owners
I was one of the television reporters on the scene of Oregon’s first mass shooting, May 21, 1998. When Kip Kinkel opened fire in a lunchroom full of his fellow …
Mental Health
Demand Hope. Demand Recovery. Nothing less than life will do.
I hosted a public celebration at Pioneer Courthouse Square to mark the end of a hugely successful fundraising campaign for the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. The Phil and Penny Knight …
Demand Hope. Demand Recovery. Nothing less than life will do. Read More »
Dr. Xavier Amador, “I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help!”
Among the greatest frustrations in caring for a person with mental illness is Anosognosia, or lack of awareness. Dr. Xavier Amador talks with me about how to get the help …
Dr. Xavier Amador, “I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help!” Read More »
Some Words of Encouragement
I chose to write about mental illness in All the Things We Never Knew for one reason–to give people hope. It was excruciating to watch my former husband descend into …
Dealing with a mental illness? Here are your legal protections
One of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching experiences I’ve had since writing this blog is hearing your stories regarding mental health. A mother shared her hope after finally finding a medication …
Dealing with a mental illness? Here are your legal protections Read More »
A new stage of grief: forgiveness
Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has described the five stages of grief as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When a loved one commits suicide, that list is incomplete. We are haunted …
Unreachable
My father’s parents both died before he turned ten years old. He essentially grew up as an orphan, and yet he was the happiest person I’ve ever known. At the …
Kevin Hines: Survivor
When 28-year-old Kevin Hines hurled himself from the Golden Gate Bridge, his first thought was, “What the hell did I just do? I don’t want to die.” According to the …
Recovery is possible.
The one thing I wish more families heard when their loved one gets sick from a brain illness is this: Recovery is possible. In the days after David’s suicide attempt, I …
I can’t erase the past. I learned so much from it.
Our daughter celebrates her birthday each June. I can’t help but measure her birthdays with an equal sense of apprehension and elation. She’s a teenager now, and still no sign …
I can’t erase the past. I learned so much from it. Read More »