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This is Deanna and I am starting this page on behalf of my twin brother, Donnie, and on behalf of his family.
If you have met Donnie (I will never graduate to calling him Don, his "grown-up" name) you know that he is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. If you want to see a caricature of him, watch When the Game Stands Tall, he is assistant coach, Terry Eidson.
Donnie is passionate, always putting others first, smart and funny. He is also living in survival mode and has been for many, many years. You see, his family has been struck time and again by mental illness. First his wife and then his oldest daughter, and now his youngest daughter. He works long, hard hours (and right now also very cold hours) as a postal carrier and frequently returns home only to turn around and go to his second job stocking shelves at a grocery store. For a long time he also held a third job delivering newspapers. The man never slept.
Donnie's oldest daughter was treated for severe depression and was in and out of hospitals for three years. Thankfully, she is in recovery and has her sights set on a brighter tomorrow.
His wonderful son is about to graduate high school and head off to college. He too has the promise to do great things with his life.
For the past year, however, his youngest daughter has been in and out of the hospital--also suffering with severe depression and repeated attempts to take her life. This once brightly shining light is back in the hospital as I write this and is in a very dark place.
Every hospitalization costs nearly $1000. The counseling each child receives is thousands more each year. He wants (and needs) to do what Family Services is suggesting and begin family counseling in his home, but he doesn't have the money to pay for it, yet makes too much money to receive any assistance.
Donnie's wife is incapacitated due to her own mental health history. It is literally all on Donnie. He is constantly having to take off work to handle the next emergency at home.
I started this campaign for two reasons: 1) to offer Donnie and his family the financial support which could hopefully help him dig out of his current situation of debt and barely making ends meet.
2) Even more importantly, I want Donnie and his family to know that THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
Mental Illness is BRUTAL. It is ISOLATING. It is RELENTLESS. It is LIFE THREATENING. If it were cancer or some other socially acceptable disease more people would know what he's been going through for the past fifteen years. People would be lining up to offer what help they could. In short, they would do for Donnie what he has done for others.
I am started this campaign to help shine a light into their darkness.
Thank you for doing what you can.
It truly isn't just about the money (though the money really helps).
It's about reaching out a hand from wherever you are. It's about letting them know THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
Donnie's oldest daughter was treated for severe depression and was in and out of hospitals for three years. Thankfully, she is in recovery and has her sights set on a brighter tomorrow.
His wonderful son is about to graduate high school and head off to college. He too has the promise to do great things with his life.
For the past year, however, his youngest daughter has been in and out of the hospital--also suffering with severe depression and repeated attempts to take her life. This once brightly shining light is back in the hospital as I write this and is in a very dark place.
Every hospitalization costs nearly $1000. The counseling each child receives is thousands more each year. He wants (and needs) to do what Family Services is suggesting and begin family counseling in his home, but he doesn't have the money to pay for it, yet makes too much money to receive any assistance.
Donnie's wife is incapacitated due to her own mental health history. It is literally all on Donnie. He is constantly having to take off work to handle the next emergency at home.
I started this campaign for two reasons: 1) to offer Donnie and his family the financial support which could hopefully help him dig out of his current situation of debt and barely making ends meet.
2) Even more importantly, I want Donnie and his family to know that THEY ARE NOT ALONE.
Mental Illness is BRUTAL. It is ISOLATING. It is RELENTLESS. It is LIFE THREATENING. If it were cancer or some other socially acceptable disease more people would know what he's been going through for the past fifteen years. People would be lining up to offer what help they could. In short, they would do for Donnie what he has done for others.
I am started this campaign to help shine a light into their darkness.
Thank you for doing what you can.
It truly isn't just about the money (though the money really helps).
It's about reaching out a hand from wherever you are. It's about letting them know THEY ARE NOT ALONE.