Katie's Journey

There’s no charity walk, no awareness ribbon, or even enough rooms in adolescent psychiatric programs for kids struggling with mental illness.

What there is no shortage of, however, is fear, grief, shame, loneliness, and, perhaps worst of all, helplessness when your child is burdened with something that you don’t understand and don’t know how to make better.

Many of you know and love my dear friend Kristen. Since her move to Michigan after losing her husband to lymphoma in 2016, she has been struggling alone to navigate the challenging, frustrating, and often painful world of childhood mental illness with her now 14- year old daughter, Katie. In recent years, Katie was diagnosed with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (for reference, these kids used to be labeled as bipolar), in addition to struggling with profound anxiety and characteristics that put her on the autism spectrum.

And yet, Katie is amazing. She is creative, thoughtful, kind, and passionate about social justice. If you could hear her tell a story, you’d fall in love with the ways she thinks about her characters, identity and inclusion. It’s just so hard for her light to shine.

Her mom has tried all the things. Therapy. Medication. Out-patient and in-patient programs. Even three months of wilderness therapy last summer. There has been significant growth, and they all have learned so much about how Katie’s neurodiverse brain works. But, after exhausting the educational opportunities in their area, Kristen realized that a traditional school setting is not the right place for Katie. She needs a program that knows how to approach the neurodiverse brain and a community of kids that she can connect with.

There are not many of these programs, and none in the Midwest. However, Kristen found a therapeutic boarding school in Provo, Utah, that has so much of what Katie needs. Constant support by professionals who understand how her brain works, the structure that she needs to learn, and a community of other quirky kids who see the world in a unique way. Katie has been there since April, and while she has her ups and downs (and misses home keenly), Kristen is so proud of the hard work she sees Katie doing there.

Kristen has a strong support system that has helped her in so many ways over the years, but it’s a lonely road when you have a child struggling with their mental health. There have not always been a lot of concrete ways for others to help, but now there is the opportunity to help in a tangible way. The cost of tuition for a residential school is an enormous burden for a single parent. Also daunting is the cost of traveling to and from Utah to visit Katie, bring her home for breaks, etc. This family needs resources. Resources in the way of financial contributions and airline miles, if you have them to give. (Fun fact, Delta Airlines is the only carrier that flies nonstop to Salt Lake City.)

Everyone says it takes a village to raise a family, and that is certainly true now. Whether you know them personally, or whether you share my frustration with the woeful state of the mental health system in this county, please know that your donations are helping a little girl with a big heart who needs all the support her village can offer right now.