We are moving our blog

we are moving from Blogger to a blog directly on our NAMI Glendale website. here is the url
www.namiglendale.org/blogengine.net check it out!

We have a Family to Family class starting in February 2008; interested? Visit our website for the details and contact information. www.namiglendale.org click on the Family to Family link.

Sights and Shots of NAMI Walks LA 2007

Who's In Control Anyway?

Letty & I just returned from Kelowna (or Kelownafornia as we now refer to it) in beautiful British Columbia.

Letty was there on business, she works with the rescue mission in the downtown area. Here is there web site: http://www.kelownagospelmission.ca/ help them if you can it would be appreciated.

I arrived Thursday around 5:30 PM to this wonderful valley surrounded by mountains and a huge 90 mile long lake running between the Eastside and Westside of the valley.

This is largely a resort area, people from all over the world either own a home or timeshare or condo and come to enjoy this mild climate and beautiful region in eastern British Columbia.

This week end was a celebration of Canada's 140th. birthday and Letty & I attended some great events a citizenship ceremony where 95 people of varying nationalities became Canadian citizens, a family and friends bar-b-que and were all prepared for the fireworks celebration, but that for technical reasons did not happen.

All in all it was a great weekend. On Monday Letty & I went on a cruise on Lake Okanagen. As we were enjoying the scenery and beauty we struck up a conversation with a couple from Vancouver on hiloday. They had actually seen Letty the day before when we were having lunch and we just started to share some regular informaton about each other. Eventually the conversation got around to why Letty was there in the first place. When she shared the couple were touched by the whole idea of helping homeless people. Then the wife shared she has a niece with schizophrenia and a close friend with bi-polar disorder. The friend is med compliant and the niece is not and struggles. I saw this as an opportunity to share about NAMI and I gave her a biz. card and wrote the book "I Am Not Sick and Don't Need Help" by Amador for her, told her to read this and to give it to her brother so trhe family can better understand what her niece is dealing with.

At this point the boat docked we said our goodbyes and they were very thankful.

When we got off the boat I turned to Letty and said "You know this morning I was thinking that we had not discussed our story with anyone this whole weekend. I wondered if that was a good thing or not." And then in the middle of a lake, more than 1500 miles from home two couples can meet and share how mental illness has had an effect on their lives.

I have been it too many of these situations to know that we are all given the opportunity to share our journey and share a message of hopefullness to others.

Two Months Too Long

It has been two months since my last post and that is too long! Someone should have embarrassed me and reminded me; no I'll take full blame for not making any updates.

The NAMI Walk appears to have done a good job of getting the word out and the LA Affiliates raised over $309, 000 (Hip Hip Hooray for us).

Recently the LA Times ran an article on stigma in television programming did you see it? It was in the November 13 Health Section front page and was a good article, although it did not mention Stella and her great work it did mention NAMI's fight for dignity for better portrayals of mentally ill people in TV.

What do you think about how accurately TV depicts those with mental illness? How about the fact that so many are criminals or not in recovery? What about Monk? Is this an accurate view of OCD? Recently Jane Curtain had a show and she was a character suffering from depression and the show did poorly, did it hit home or miss entirely?

Did you see the story about how Baltimore is fighting homlessness with parking meters? They are refitting old parking meters for cash donations to relieve poverty in their town. Is this a good idea? How are other communities fighting this issue? Are they winnning or losing? Is money enough to win the battle or are social programs needed or can they be improved? Job training, does it work?

Give us your comments.

NAMI WALKS LA

October 7, 2006, Santa Monica Third Street Promenade will be the date and site of this years NAMI WALKS Los Angeles at 9:30 AM.

When I heard that the walk would be at a new location I was overjoyed at where and when this years event would take place. The Third Street Promanade in Santa Monica is one of the greater Los Angeles Counties best spots for exposure to a cause as this one. On any Saturday this place is packed with people shopping, dining and theater visitors. This will be a great day for NAMI.

If you are reading this and have not joined as either a walker or team captain please do so. The money raised by this annual event helps educate, advocate and battle stigma on behalf of those who cannot always fight on their own.

The monies help raise the level of awareness to the plight of the chronically mentally ill. It's used to help change laws and policies that affect our loved ones at the federal, state and local levels. It funds the needed advertising to elevate awareness to our society at large. It allows for many important programs, "Family-to-Family", "Peer-to-Peer", "In Their Own Voice" and many others to be developed and improved upon.

If we really want to effect change on behalf of those who suffer with mental illness and advocate with the legislators for changes events like NAMI WALKS LA is where your voice can be heard.

Join us,

LA Times - Mental Health Stories this week

In the past week their have been two articles in the LA Times regarding mental health that are worth taking note of.
On Tuesday September 5 the sad story of Christina Eilman appeared. This story related the difficulties a young woman had after being diagnosed with bi-polar disorder last year, she was not med compliant had a manic episode that led to a series of very unfortunate circumstances and finally with her being tragically injured and in terrible pain. The story can be viewed through this link http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-plummet5sep05,1,6406843.story

My reason for starting a discussion on this story is because first it is a true story based on some pretty damaging facts of how ill-equipped the police are in handling mentally ill individuals, and yet they are having to deal with the mentally ill every day. Second, we can see how Illinois is doing how about California? What role do we have in helping our loved ones in being med-compliant?

It seems we are failing on every level as a society when it comes to helping the helpless individuals who are diagnosed, released on the own, and no or little follow up takes place. This leads me to the second story in the Times.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prisons7sep07,1,6481263.story this story in Thursday’s paper shares the results of a study of 25, 000 prisoners in our nation of which ½ have a mental illness. We have moved from a society that had insane asylums once considered to be so disgusting that we did away with them and went to state run mental hospitals that were closed in the late 1960’s back to a state run insane asylum called the jail system. We are no further along in helping the mentally ill than ever. We are losing the battle and retrenching each day toward a broken system.

I do not mean to sound angry or depressed about this, but the fact is we as a society in a modern enlightened age with our scientific, sociological, wisdom and pioneering spirit cannot give a account as to why we are so poor at helping the mentally ill.

I look forward to your comments and ideas.

Great Evening!

If you joined us at the Hancocks you know that the evening was just grand! We had a wonderful time just eating and drinking on the deck with some wonderful people.

If you walked around you heard not only the buzz from the yellow jackets but the great bits of conversation. "How is this person doing?", "How are you doing?", "Have you heard from?".

To me it represents the caring group of people we have come to know over the past 6 years or so. The concern in genuine, and that is really great.

If you missed us please keep in mind that we get together every Tuesday at Arden House. That we do care about you and your situation. We do not have all the answers and often do not even ask the right questions, but you are not alone.

w.