Slowly dying in prison.
Donation protected
My Name Is Brendan B. Stanley
I am a prisoner of the state of Iowa. My case is one of the many that unfortunately occur wherein a mentally ill person is railroaded into serving time because of actions taken during a psychotic episode. This has been a problem all over the country since most of the state mental health facilities were shut down, and prisons became de facto mental health institutions. My diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder, a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and I am, unfortunately, among the many Americans in prison in this situation. No one was hurt in any way, nor was there any intention to hurt anyone, in my case, but I still received a 25-year sentence for Kidnapping 2.
Like so many in my situation, despite being found incompetent to stand trial 3 times, they eventually got me on enough meds to make me lucid enough to be convicted, regardless of how delusional I was during the actual events in consideration. Fortunately, despite the grave price my health was forced to pay for it, medications have given me the clarity of mind to understand the nature of the situation that I am now in and to be able to seek your help.
Due to a combination of the side effects of blood sugar, body weight, and other physiological functions, of the medications I was obligated to take, and the horrifically unhealthy prison diet (consisting of almost nothing but sugar and simple carbs, and entirely lacking fresh vegetables and fruits), I have, over the 15 years of my incarceration, developed and been diagnosed by specialists with axonic neuropathy, widespread arthritis, IBS, and chronic dry eye disease. An impoverished diet has been the principal cause of almost all of these.
This is what has led me to seek, from among the public, whatever support you find in your hearts to provide to help me to change the course that my health has taken. It is my hope to be able to raise the money sufficient to afford a healthier diet, drawing upon the many fruits, vegetables, meats, whole grains, and other items that are available at the prison store for a price, and which are generally available only to inmates with more affluent families than my own. My loved ones on the outside send what they can, but cannot afford to finance a significant dietary change for me. And now in this time of the Pandemic, where so much rests upon the strength of one's immune system, a good diet is even more critical, especially for one who is already as compromised as I am by preexisting conditions. The facility in which I am housed has recently seen a rash of Pandemic cases, and many of our units are already on full quarantine lockdown.
I thank you, kind souls, among the public, with all my heart, for whatever amount you are able to send to help me to turn my health around and to help safeguard me against a very real threat. May you all stay safe and healthy.
Brendan
Hi, I'm Bren's Father Rick, and I just wanted to add a few things about him that he hasn't mentioned. Brendan is a graduate of the U. of Iowa with a BA in Anthropology and Spanish. He is one of the most knowledgeable scholars of Native American history, spirituality, and traditions and during his time in prison has written a book of poetry and prose that expresses a profound intimacy and depth of experience in his subject.
I must stress the fact that he is rapidly wasting away from lack of nutrition and the draining effects of the powerful medication he is forced to take. He is sleeping almost the entire day and even though he exercises outside every other day, he has lost and gained over a hundred pounds as they attempt to relieve his nerve and arthritic pain with one drug after another.
What he really needs is Food Nutritious Food and you can help with that.
He was a young vibrant man when he first entered the prison system and he has become so sick, overweight, and rapidly aging that I can barely recognize him as the talented guitarist/singer and poet that I knew fifteen years ago.
I am 78 and retired with a very small social security income but I try to help him as best I can; thank you so much for anything you can give to get him on the road to recovery. His book is "The Wild Nature Of God" by Brendan Stanley at Amazon.com
I am a prisoner of the state of Iowa. My case is one of the many that unfortunately occur wherein a mentally ill person is railroaded into serving time because of actions taken during a psychotic episode. This has been a problem all over the country since most of the state mental health facilities were shut down, and prisons became de facto mental health institutions. My diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder, a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and I am, unfortunately, among the many Americans in prison in this situation. No one was hurt in any way, nor was there any intention to hurt anyone, in my case, but I still received a 25-year sentence for Kidnapping 2.
Like so many in my situation, despite being found incompetent to stand trial 3 times, they eventually got me on enough meds to make me lucid enough to be convicted, regardless of how delusional I was during the actual events in consideration. Fortunately, despite the grave price my health was forced to pay for it, medications have given me the clarity of mind to understand the nature of the situation that I am now in and to be able to seek your help.
Due to a combination of the side effects of blood sugar, body weight, and other physiological functions, of the medications I was obligated to take, and the horrifically unhealthy prison diet (consisting of almost nothing but sugar and simple carbs, and entirely lacking fresh vegetables and fruits), I have, over the 15 years of my incarceration, developed and been diagnosed by specialists with axonic neuropathy, widespread arthritis, IBS, and chronic dry eye disease. An impoverished diet has been the principal cause of almost all of these.
This is what has led me to seek, from among the public, whatever support you find in your hearts to provide to help me to change the course that my health has taken. It is my hope to be able to raise the money sufficient to afford a healthier diet, drawing upon the many fruits, vegetables, meats, whole grains, and other items that are available at the prison store for a price, and which are generally available only to inmates with more affluent families than my own. My loved ones on the outside send what they can, but cannot afford to finance a significant dietary change for me. And now in this time of the Pandemic, where so much rests upon the strength of one's immune system, a good diet is even more critical, especially for one who is already as compromised as I am by preexisting conditions. The facility in which I am housed has recently seen a rash of Pandemic cases, and many of our units are already on full quarantine lockdown.
I thank you, kind souls, among the public, with all my heart, for whatever amount you are able to send to help me to turn my health around and to help safeguard me against a very real threat. May you all stay safe and healthy.
Brendan
Hi, I'm Bren's Father Rick, and I just wanted to add a few things about him that he hasn't mentioned. Brendan is a graduate of the U. of Iowa with a BA in Anthropology and Spanish. He is one of the most knowledgeable scholars of Native American history, spirituality, and traditions and during his time in prison has written a book of poetry and prose that expresses a profound intimacy and depth of experience in his subject.
I must stress the fact that he is rapidly wasting away from lack of nutrition and the draining effects of the powerful medication he is forced to take. He is sleeping almost the entire day and even though he exercises outside every other day, he has lost and gained over a hundred pounds as they attempt to relieve his nerve and arthritic pain with one drug after another.
What he really needs is Food Nutritious Food and you can help with that.
He was a young vibrant man when he first entered the prison system and he has become so sick, overweight, and rapidly aging that I can barely recognize him as the talented guitarist/singer and poet that I knew fifteen years ago.
I am 78 and retired with a very small social security income but I try to help him as best I can; thank you so much for anything you can give to get him on the road to recovery. His book is "The Wild Nature Of God" by Brendan Stanley at Amazon.com
Organizer
Rick Stanley
Organizer
Fairfield, IA