Advertising, marketing, media management and strategic planning filled my career life with working for businesses and creating a media buying service of my own. I retired for health reasons for five years then following I opened a small cafe for a year then retired completely in 2009. During these years, 2009 to 2012, I spent much time in Iowa with my parents and it gave me an opportunity to reconnect closely and I value it deeply.

The Mania of Bipolar Disorder made me successful early in my career because I was untreated for 25-30 years. But it caused major collateral damage in the latest years as my risk assessment and judgement diminished and anxiety increased while I became nearly paralyzed. This anxiety slipped into treatment resistant depression for six years. There was no joy. No sunshine. No lightheartedness. I was heavy, in darkness and very much hopeless.

Medications and therapy lifted me out of that dark place. I believe that mental illness is just an illness that can be treated like all others.

I raised two wonderful, intellegent and caring kids so overall my life has been successful. These children are tomorrows intellects, leaders and family first people because that is what they learned growing up. Both are getting a PHD, one is already a Dr. Both my daughter in law and Vince, my daughter’s significant other has a PHD as well. I don’t know what they are talking about sometimes. so even in the Throws of mania and depression didn’t have a negative outcome with the kids considering my disorrder. If anything it made them more empathetic and compassionate.

During my mania years I was a workaholic with abounding energy. I worked 18 hour days and always had a full family dinnner nightly

Getting well was as seven year journey of many medications that didn’t work, Until I hit on one that made the sun shine, the birds sang and I was out of darkness 10 days affter the initial dose. I have had small ups and downs but with my meds no one would ever know therre was anything wrong with me.

I talk about mental illness so at least the few people that do read my blogs can have seen that someone they actually know with mental illness that got well.