Greetings

Hello world! I am an aspiring writer, educator, father and husband, and I am writing to get my story out. First, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in my mid twenties after a tumultuous year of running wild and free across the country, answering to people and voices that did not exist, and chasing shadows that had me venturing away from my stable, home life and into the dangerous streets of Las Vegas and later Juarez, Mexico. This journey ended with a stay in a New Mexico prison cell and later a psych ward back in Chicago where I finally started receiving the help I so desperately needed. But this site isn’t dedicated to all of my outlandish experiences; it’s dedicated to living with a bipolar diagnosis today and trying to gain needed comfort with sharing my story with the people in my life. Up until now, everyone has been in the dark, save for my wife, my brother, my mother-in-law, and my therapist with whom I work weekly. I have a very close extended family who watched my go “off the deep end” in 2003, and very supportive parents who obviously know about my diagnosis and treatment, but whose old-school nature doesn’t allow them to openly and comfortably discuss all that I’ve been through. So this is my first step; I’m glad you’re on this journey with me, and I value all of your feedback and insights. I hope to develop a platform with my writing, where I’m chronicling my year of mania and delusion, and with my voice as a public figure in the community. I currently teach 8th grade English and coach two high school sports in an affluent suburb of Chicago, the same suburb I grew up in, the same setting where I once went mad. Even with this first step, I wonder if the community, my family, and my friends are ready to hear my story, to hear about a part of me that has been tucked away and hidden for quite some time. I am fearful, hopeful, and torn about this process, and I really have no way of knowing how it will all work out. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to checking in regularly.