Thank you to everyone participating in my blog in 2018 — readers and writers. This is still a baby blog but it’s grown by 65% this year reaching over 18,000 readers in more than 84 countries — including foreign places like Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, and Washington, DC.
At first, I was going to simply list the names of 2018 contributors to the blog. Then I decided to list their stories by titles and months of publication. I was struck by three things:
1) Commonality (ongoing requests for help).
2) The breadth and depth of the issues presented.
3) The strength and dedication of mothers (some fathers, too — maybe fathers don’t participate in social media as much).
When I began this blog in July 2016, I wasn’t sure where it would go. I’m still not sure where it might go but it keeps gaining traction. Somedays I want to walk away from it — my son, Pat, is gone. But I can’t. I just can’t. Not with so many life-and-death pleas for change — sooner than tomorrow. Not when I receive messages like this one:
"My beloved son, Ben, has severe paranoid schizophrenia. He's 22. I live in New Zealand where there are no facilities to help him except medication. He's made to have monthly injections as he has no insight into his illness at all. He also has terrible drug and alcohol abuse and I'm his only support as no one wants him around. I found this site last night when I was feeling so hopeless and I read all night — every story — and cried my broken heart out. I just wanted to thank all of you because I really, really needed you and you are what helps in the dark times." (Thank You From New Zealand, February 2018)
Thank you, blog readers, for reading and sharing these stories. Thank you, writers, for bravely speaking out and for trusting me with your personal and poignant accounts. Your trust is my gold standard — I will always try to earn and honor it.
May better stories be with each of us in 2019. Thinking of you with love.
Dede
JANUARY 2018
The Best Teacher I’ve Ever Had by Deborah Fabos
That F@cking Bumper Sticker by Ray Weaver
The Failure of Kevin’s Law by Kimberlee West
This Book is for You, Kevin by Ron Powers
I’m Gonna Brag About My Son by Harriet B.
I Have a Question About Residential Care by Gloria Hill
I’m Never Calling the Crisis Team or the Police Again by Kecia Bolken Speck
Really? Who Else Will Do It? by Kecia Bolken Speck
FEBRUARY 2018
Letter from Solitary Confinement by Kathy Baker & Travis Christian
So Where Do I Go From Here? by Kathy Baker
My Letter to a Young Man in Solitary Confinement by Dede Ranahan
I Love My Children by Heidi Franke
Happening now: I Am Livid, Shaking by Heidi Franke
Thank You From New Zealand - Anonymous
Letter From Travis in Solitary Confinement by Travis Christian
You F*#king Need to Get Involved by Amy Swartz Kerr
MARCH 2018
The World has Lost a Mother of Perpetual Determination by Mary Sheldon
I Don’t Know What to Do by Emma’s Mom
Mandated Treatment and Red Tape by Melinda Nichols Balliett
Another Letter from Solitary by Travis Christian
Some Children by Rhonda Hart
An Advocate Mother’s Letter to AG Jeff Sessions by GG Burns
How Turning Point Failed My Son by Laurie Mendoza
Let’s Talk About Hopeful Voluntary Admissions by Mary Irwin Butler
APRIL 2018
It’s Not Behavioral It’s Mental Illness by Sherry Hunter
Urgent: An Open Letter to Judge Hicks in Michigan by Anne Francisco
My Son, Guns, and Serious Mental Illness by Heidi Franke
The New Breed by Alison Luterman
I’d Give Up Everything to Give Him a Normal Life by Sherry
A Thank You from Solitary by Travis Christian
Karen’s Story About Welcome Home Housing in Sacramento - Karen
I’m Looking for a Friend (From Solitary) by Jorge Fajardo
MAY 2018
Reach Out to Others Who are Struggling — MothersAgainstMentalIllnessStigma
We’re Hoping Someone, Somewhere Can Help Us by Nicole Finn
Ryan’s Story - Part One by Donna Erickson
Update on Richard Quintero by Nicole Finn
Ryan’s Story - Part Two by Donna Erickson
A Mother’s Day Letter from Travis (In Solitary) by Travis Christian
Ryan’s Story - Part Three by Donna Erickson
I’m Sure They Mean Well, But… by Tania Irie
Nikki and Kevin - Part One by Nikki Landis
Nikki and Kevin - Part two by Nikki Landis
JUNE 2018
It’s Kind of Like a Daily “Sophie’s Choice” by Gwendolyn Bartley
Prison Correspondence by Travis Christian and Dede Ranahan
Ah Reality. It Sucks by Laurie Mendoza
Update on Tyler by Kimberlee West
Taking a Mental Health Break by Dede Ranahan
AUGUST 2018
A Mother’s Diary - Going Forward by Dede Ranahan
What Would You Do? by Sherri McGimsey
A Problem Shared is a Problem Halved by Mara Briere
What Parents Want for the Seriously Mentally Ill by Dede Ranahan
Tahlequah & Mourningmom: A Tale of Two Mothers by Dede Ranahan
There’s No Limit to What a Mother Will Do by Teresa Assunto
A Letter from California State Prison by Travis Christian
A Poem from Salinas Valley State Prison by Jorge Fajardo, Jr.
A Mother’s Fight: Part I — 2011 by Carole M.
A Mother’s Fight: Part II — 2017 by Carole M.
SEPTEMBER 2018
A Different Back to School by Elizabeth
You Don’t Matter by Theresa Assunto
A Supportive Resource for Young Students — 826 National
Your Trust is My Gold Standard by Dede Ranahan
The “Right” To Be So Ill by Kathy Day
One Day At a Time by Tamara Lee
Somebody Please Help Us by Debra Ammon
I Am Broken, Beyond Repair — An Anonymous Mother
OCTOBER 2018
Stand Your Ground by Mary Irwin Butler
I Yelled at God by Lynn Smith
A Visit with Travis by Travis Christian (BB8099)
We Are Still in a Prison by Tama Bell
Going to California State Prison to Meet Travis by Dede Ranahan
Talking With Travis (BB8099) by Dede Ranahan
We Received the Worst Call of Our Lives by Rhonda Meth
Too Many Families Live This Pain by Jacque Cowger McKinney
Twenty-One Days and Not A Thing We Can Do by Viviana Kaeg-Runde
NOVEMBER 2018
My Heart is Beating but My Body Feels Like Stone by Monica Virtaneva
Puzzle Pieces Began Fitting Together by Sherry Hunter
Mommy, Please Clear My Name by Holly Alson
Losing My Child, Barbarically by Margie Annis
My November Visit with Travis (BB8099) by Dede Ranahan
Maybe That is My Story by Jennifer Cordova
What is Wrong with This County? by Kimberlee Cooper West
And Now, On the Lighter Side - Anonymous
DECEMBER 2018
Holiday Emotions — Anonymous
Brain Care Versus Heart Care by Sandy Turner
Fighting for Change by Allison Brown
My Concerning Xmas Visit With Travis (BB8099) by Dede Ranahan
End Prolonged Solitary Confinement by Dr. Mariposa McCall, Psychiatrist
Time to Get Guardianship by Sherri McGimsey
A Happy Story to End 2018 by Kathy Day
2018 Thank You’s and Acknowledgments by Dede Ranahan