3043 State Rt. 4
Hudson Falls, New York

p. 518.747.2284
f. 518.747.2253

Table of Contents

Raffle will help "Catch a Falling Star | Adirondack Booster Club Donates $3,500 to "Breaking the Silence" | Catching a Child before his or her World Darkens | Recovering in the Community | Peer-to-peer | AMH Annual Dinner- Honoring the Exceptional | Council will host training with Dr. Minkoff
Improvising Mental Illness | Changes

Recovering in the Community
By Marie Edson-Fleming
Editor's Note: Marie Edson-Fleming was a guest speaker at "Celebration in the Park" for Mental Health Month. The following is a re-print of her speech. AMH is thankful for Marie's candor. There are many stories of recovery in our community, but most are told within a small circle of friends and family. It is the hope of the Stigma Action Coalition that more people like Marie will come forward and help demystify and humanize mental illness. As Marie says, "there is always hope."

In 1987 I was introduced to the mental health system through my family doctor. I had complaints of back pain and thought I had either a urinary tract or kidney infection. When my doctor could not find anything wrong with me he referred me to the outpatient mental health services at Glens Falls Hospital. I was both angry and hurt to think the doctor I had been going to for several years thought I was a "hypochondriac" and this was "all in my head."

Later that year, I started in the Continuing Day Treatment Program at Glens Falls Hospital for six months. I was in and out of the mental health unit more times than I care to remember. The doors were almost revolving and I felt hopeless. My therapist then talked to me about an agency in the area that helped people get and maintain jobs - Liberty House. The last time I had worked was in 1986 at the Hospital and my son was 15 months old. I was a single mother who was in and out of the mental health unit and scared to death about going back to work. I was willing to give it a try. When I had my intake with Judy Wilkes, Clinical Coordinator, I cried through the whole thing. I started Liberty House May 1, 1988. Judy asked me what my long-term goal was and I told her "to return to the Nutritional Services Department in the exact position that I had been fired from because of my attitude, calling in sick all the time, and other job performance problems."

After working at J & J Lingerie, Price Chopper on Glen Street, Fort William Henry, Voluntary Action Center and Children's Awareness Museum, I decided I wanted to further my education and go into the clerical field and, with the support of Liberty House and JTPA, I started ACC's Clerical Skills Training Class. I went onto graduate in the Spring of 1997 with the help of ACC's Special Services Coordinator, Deb Guy, my husband and son, Liberty House, my AMH Case Manager and my family doctor - I stress that I feel that the Family Physician who understands and cares really needs to be an integrated part of working with a person with a mental illness. Thank God, mine does.

I graduated on the Dean's list with a certificate in Secretarial Sciences. Ten years, almost to the date, I started back in the position in Nutritional Services at Glens Falls Hospital. I was put on six months probation, but after assessing my skills and seeing how I had done a 180 degree turn with the services I had received, my probation was dropped.

I truly believe that I did the work, but tools were attained from the network of these services working together to help me better myself. In 1989, Liberty House referred me to case management (AMH Integrated Services) because of my problems with money management. Thank God I have a very patient Case Manager. She still works with my family and me today.

In 1993, I was asked to restart a recipient advocacy program called "Consumer Voices". I was President of this program for two years and we did such things as "Adopt a Family " for Christmas, sent different agencies in the area a wish list of things they needed, but did not have money in their budgets for and started socials for recipients on weekends. Consumer Voices (now Voices of the Heart) is still up and running.

Even though I am not currently involved I encourage every recipient to advocate for themselves and/or family members who have a mental illness. The people who are now running Voices of the Heart are doing a wonderful job. They have a food bank, respite care to avoid hospitalization and weekend socials.

I sincerely thank these businesses for giving us folks chances to prove and improve our lives so we can better ourselves and fight the stigma that goes with mental illness.

Mark Wills, a country music singer, has a song out "Don't Laugh at Me" which talks about people laughing at others and they don't know the circumstances. Please remember: No one has a right to laugh or discriminate against any other person for any reason, and I truly live on this statement. We didn't ask for this and it could happen to anyone.

My hopes are that mental health budgeting on national, state and local levels is not cut any further to the point where people like myself cannot get the help we need in order to better ourselves.

In closing, I would like recipients, care givers and service providers to know that there is always hope. I was in bad shape thirteen years ago, but with the help of so many people, I now work 25 to 30 hours a week as a registrar in the Glens Falls Hospital.

Thank you to everyone who never gave up on me.