I come from a family where bi-polar disorder and alcoholism have claimed many lives. My Dad committed suicide when I was two; my Granddad when I was 11. I live with bipolar disorder and PTSD resulting from years of physical, mental, and sexual abuse at the hands of my step dad. But prior to my incarceration, I had received no treatment.

In the criminal justice system, I got lucky. I was one of the few people who received a proper diagnosis and was able to begin treatment for my mental illness.

Hundreds of thousands of people enter the criminal justice system because they have an undiagnosed mental illness, but no one catches it; and they sit in prisons and jails untreated, when really they need to be in recovery for mental illness.

If it hadn’t been for some amazing folks in the criminal justice system, I may have been one of those people. Instead, I got good care. But that didn’t mean life was smooth sailing. Getting my diagnosis was just the beginning of a long road.

In October 2006, my mother passed and I was also homeless. I made the painful decision to move into the women’s homeless shelter on Homestead Road in Chapel Hill. I was coming out of an episode of a severe depressive side of my mental illness, which included a lengthy hospital stay, and only had the clothes on my back.

I got to the shelter on a Thursday and walked through the doors of Club Nova on that Friday morning, announcing, “I’m back! I’m homeless! I’m broke! I need a job!” The staff at Club Nova sat down and talked with me about my situation. It just so happened that Club Nova had a new Transitional Employment position available at Staples in Chapel Hill and they needed a member to take it on. It did not matter to me that it was cleaning the bathrooms and break room two hours a day, five days a week. I HAD A JOB!!! That nine month TE job would eventually lead me into a permanent position with the company until July 2012, where I led in Customer Service and was a top seller. Club Nova also assisted me in getting me out of my ‘sleeping quarters’ at the homeless shelter. To this day, I am still in my independent house and am still soaring in my life!

Today, I work and pay my taxes. I serve on several Board of Directors that all deal with Mental Health; I am a strong advocate in the world of mental health, working with dozens of community groups to improve their interactions with and support of people with mental illness. When I look back on my journey, I can say it has not been easy at all. But I can say the experiences I have had have allowed me to be able to help others along the way. Today, I am a survivor instead of a statistic! And living and surviving are what I do best!