Don't Give up, Don't Give in, Keep Hoping

At last, it is thrilling, that after 22 years, my son is finally out of denial and on his road to self-reliance. He has been developing his job readiness skills and is now leading a meaningful and independent life. He is also working diligently at adjusting his lifestyle to include foods, activities and associates that are conducive to becoming a healthier person. For years, my son remained in denial. He refused to accept or understand his illness. Additionally, he was oblivious to...
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At last, it is thrilling, that after 22 years, my son is finally out of denial and on his road to self-reliance. He has been developing his job readiness skills and is now leading a meaningful and independent life. He is also working diligently at adjusting his lifestyle to include foods, activities and associates that are conducive to becoming a healthier person. For years, my son remained in denial. He refused to accept or understand his illness. Additionally, he was oblivious to developing the proper views or motives toward recovery. Today, he has accepted responsibility for managing his illness and creating the life that he wants to live. NO MORE DENIAL!For decades, my son was ashamed of his mental illness. When asked by doctors what he thinks is wrong with him, he would always say, "I just feel a little depressed." Today, he speaks openly with his doctor. He is no longer ashamed of his illnesses.For two decades after his adolescence, my son lived with me and at times in and out of Assisted Living Facilities. Today, he is living responsibly and independently. For decades, he showed no signs of reasonableness. Today, he is reasonable. For years, he could not make decisions, no matter how small. Today, he is making wise decisions. He is now capable of handling any situation with thoughtfulness and maturity.On August 8, 2012, two decades after my son became ill; he expressed his interest in reading success stories about others who are recovering from schizophrenia. A week later, as I was reading the local newspaper, he asked to read the sports section of the paper. One can only imagine the joy and happiness I felt.For the first 16 years, my son fought against taking his medications. Today, he manages his own medication, schedules and independently maintains his doctor's appointments with his psychiatrist and primary care physicians. Today, he is studying the self-help guidebooks and training guides that I wrote to help him reintegrate and prepare to overcome the challenges daily life and of job searching. Periodically, he also takes classes at the local community college. The most significant achievement of my son's recovery process was his acceptance of responsibility for managing his mental health care. My greatest joy is sharing in his experience of unparalleled success to the point that I can safely use the term, "recovering." I am convinced that it was -- and continues to be -- his self-commitment, desire for well-being and overall optimism that, combined with my devotion and practical skills development training, has resulted in his recovery.22 years ago, my son's prognosis was, "He may never recover." The family felt hopeless at that time. Today, we are all enjoying seeing him on his road to recovery.I applaud my son for all his efforts. His progress surpasses my expectations. I am amazed at how well he is progressing. The resiliency he displayed is OUTSTANDING! His progress to date is REMARKABLE! Today, I am inspired to share my journey with everyone.Today, I know that managing schizophrenia and being a contributing member of society is possible.Today, I am inspired to share my coping and recovery empowerment methods and job training skills with others who want to access their path to recovery.What inspired me to share this story is the success my sons have had in overcoming the adversities that resulted from schizophrenia. Yes, when my son lost decades of his life to this chronic mental illness, he became isolated and fearful, and lost his abilities to continue with his life. His abilities to continue with relationships were gone. Even the thought of education and job training goals or of a job search process tremendously stressed him. In the end, my son is alive and happy today because I devoted all my time, energy and resources to caring for him.