Mental Illness in Families

Hi.   My name is Zoe… It is about time I popped my pretty head (smiles) and get to know you all out there.  Thanks for popping by at Defying Mental Illness.  We hope you have been enjoying Chuck’s story.

Well, I am the wife of Chuck.  His story of defying mental illness is mine as well as his.  From different perspectives on one hand and from similar on the other.  My pain, my challenges, were different from his, but the pain was still relevant and very much there.  Yet still, there were common challenges and pains we both had to bare and share.

Being the caregiver to one who is challenged with mental illness is never an easy task.  I met Chuck in the fourteenth year of what turned out to be an eighteen year journey with mental illness.  It was a journey that had a happy ending in that mental illness was defied … And hey presto…we made the decision to share our story with the world, which gave birth to DEFYING MENTAL ILLNESS.

I obviously was not unconscious when I took my vows in marrying someone who had laid bare to me the so-called skeletons in his closet.  It was not like I had any big faith or anything like that when I made the decision to become Chuck’s wife.  The truth is I had this childlike, naiive, trusting faith that all would be well…and it all turned out well in the end!

There were moments mind you, when I wanted to throw in the towel…but hey I can’t share the whole story in one post…there is plenty of time for that in future posts.  Look out for the posts marked Zoe’s Posts.

However, I do not make light the plight of mental illness in families.  It can feel like a struggle and very burdensome.  It can be very draining.  But one thing we do in Defying Mental Illness is reaching out to all parties involved.

I have made my introductions.  So till the next time, hold on.  Take this:

Even the longest road has a turn

Today marks a new turning point in your life…I just want you to hold on to that thought.  We are here for you.

Blessings

Zoe

About The Author

Zoe

Zoe met Eze (Chuck) in the 14th year of what turned out to be an 18 year ‘journey’ with mental illness. They got married less than a year of meeting with Zoe fully knowing Chuck had a diagnosis of mental illness. In the 18th year, Chuck defied the odds of mental illness. A consultant psychiatrist signed him off the mental health system with a bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS. The consultant was so amazed by Chuck’s astonishing recovery that he even questioned how Chuck was diagnosed with mental illness all those years before, in the first place! Today Chuck is free from medication, its dependency and hospitalizations. Zoe’s award nominated book, DEFYING THE ODDS, chronicles the highs and ‘lows’ of this journey. Zoe, often writing from the standpoint of a caregiver, clearly understands that mental illness does not only affect an individual challenged with the disease, but also families, marriages and society as a whole.

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