Personal Journeys » Wanda’s Story
Personal Journeys
Wanda’s Story
“You’ve got to Keep Going”
Wanda is motivated to be a top performer. In high school she won awards for singing and is especially proud of winning the state high school solo singing contest in her home state of Michigan. These achievements earned her a scholarship to a prestigious art and design school in Florida.
She worked hard and did well in college, graduating with honors. However, she was always frenetically on the go and over-extended. “Then I collapsed,” she stated, “and I went back to Michigan to be with my family and seek medical help.”The psychiatrist told her, “You’ve had a nervous breakdown.”
Wanda looks back and says, “I didn’t have keen insight into myself eighteen years ago and the medications weren’t as good as they are now. But the care I received kept me alive.” Then began what Wanda describes as “a horrendous eighteen year struggle of trying to regain a normal life.”
During the past year Wanda has been receiving services from CHOICES’ Townley Clinic in Phoenix. She came to her new clinical team, “The Incredibles,” after a psychiatric hospitalization prompted by the combination of stressors in her life and an ineffective medication protocol. With her case manager Dawn Richmond guiding her, Wanda now attends medication management appointments, participates in groups and activities and lives independently. Her life is better than it has been for a long time. “I don’t have the stressors I had living in the group homes, and it feels great to have my own apartment and my independence.”
Wanda identified a number of factors contributing to her recovery. She trusts the staff at CHOICES including their medication recommendations because “they really want to hear what I have to say.” She also says, “support systems are so very important for persons with mental illness.” Her support systems include her case manager Dawn, her treatment team, the many community groups and activities she attends, her new church where she plays the piano, and her improved relationship with her parents. Wanda wants others who have similar illnesses to know, “it is very important to be pro-active in your recovery program, develop a strong relationship with your case manager and other staff members, and if necessary, use advocacy to gain your rights.” Another bit of advice from Wanda: “sometimes things happen to you that may not be fair, but you’ve got to keep going.”
