Hello everyone!

My brother, Sahala Modesto (Modesto), was an active, optimistic, and intelligent man. He was a good older brother and I was so happy for him when he met and married his wife in 2012.

In 2014, my brother lost his job as a building consultant and was unable to find work that matched his professional capability. The loss of his job and his inability to find meaningful work triggered a serious decline in his mental health. We now know that my brother suffers from bipolar disorder, type one. Unfortunately, my brother did not receive the intensive mental health treatment he needed. The remote location he was living in meant that there was very little understanding of mental illness. The belief was that my brother was being attacked by black magic or an evil spirit. The only ‘treatment’ he received was prayer and deliverance.

My brother lived in a treatment facility that restricted all his rights. He was only able to shower once a week. He has no access to a telephone. He was starved and at times tied up. He had no privacy and was not able to leave of his own free will. His wife refused any offers of support from our family that would require Modesto to regularly travel or live closer to a larger city. The only way she would allow this to happen would be if we took all responsibility from her for the rest of Modesto’s life. She would no longer have any relationship with our brother. We have not wanted to take this step because we have wished to respect the marriage relationship.

Earlier this year, two of my siblings were able to visit Modesto. They were horrified by what they observed and it was made obvious to us that Modesto would never recover without proper medical and therapeutic treatment. He was actively delusional and had wasted away into a shadow of his former self. His wife would not allow Modesto to leave this awful place or consider any other alternative treatment options unless we agreed to take full responsibility for him.

Although we are deeply saddened by the breakdown of Modesto’s relationship, we have made it clear that no action in regards to the legal status of his marriage can take place until he has fully recovered.

Roughly a week ago, my siblings traveled with Modesto to Bali and he is now receiving inpatient treatment at Bali Mental Health Clinic (BMHC), Denpasar. The first ten days of treatment have cost $2,000 AU and we are worried we won’t be able to financially support him to receive this level of care for as long as he needs it. This is just the start of his journey to recovery. There is no such thing as Medicare in Indonesia and he does not have private health insurance.

We have been informed by his treating psychiatrist that it may take Modesto up to three years to recover after experiencing such an extended period of poor, untreated mental illness. Whilst he will not have to live in a treatment facility for three years, he will remain there until his mood has stabilized with the help of a safe and therapeutic environment, medication and counseling.

We are asking for your financial support to give Modesto a chance to recover. No matter how small your donation, we are grateful. Please keep Modesto in your prayers. We hope and pray for financial provision, the restoration of his mental health and marriage relationship.

Thank you very much!