A Father's Fight for Mental Wellness

I'm a 34-year-old man who works every day to provide for his family. I have two beautiful children and a wonderful wife that I love with all of my heart. I have an incredible job as the maintenance director for a independent living facility where I feel a strong sense of pride in my work and share love with all of the residents.

I also have struggled with my mental health for most of my life.

The last few years have been extremely difficult and after countless visits with Doctors, psychiatrists and therapists my symptoms have not improved as much as I would like. I have been through many changes to medication and Recently, I was hospitalized for Suicidal idealation. The experience was absolutely horrendous. Emergency departments are not the best option for mental heath treatment. During my stay I was accepted to multiple in patient programs but unfortunately, I was not able to participate because of a positive test for covid.

Under recommendation from my psychiatrist I will be participating in a partial hospitalization program for a month followed by a second program for a extended amount of time. During this process I will not be available to work. (The program is full time.) I'm in the process of applying for a partial paid leave program through the state of Oregon but unfortunately, this will not be enough to pay for our monthly cost of living. The approval process takes about one month and does not pay retroactively.

I'm asking for financial assistance to help get us through one month of our needs. This request is incredibley difficult to ask for and I feel ashamed of my situation. Admiting I need help has been incredibly challenging. However, this treatment is very important to moving forward and becoming the father and husband I know I can be. I'm willing to give more specific information about our situation and will continue to share updates about my progress.

Lastly, I encourage everyone to be open with others about how you are feeling. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it and in return the help you provide will make you a stronger person. Even when the world is overwhelming it is also full of people who care about you. Help is available but you have to reach out for it.