My Story
by Sr. Ann Catherine Veierstahler, SCSJA, RN, BSN

Four years ago the story of my life long struggle with mental illness was shared in our Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  As I was working with the reporter on other stories about persons with mental illness, somehow she learned of my own story.  I was worried about making my story public.  I still had family living in Milwaukee.  I belonged to a religious community that I loved and respected.  I was worried about what would be written - what would others think.

When my story was printed, suddenly it became known that "I was one of them."  What followed really surprised me.  Hundreds of people thanked me for sharing my story for they too could identify with my challenges, my pain, joys and strength.  They would whisper to me "I too have bipolar illness or I too suffer from depression."  It was a very secret disease for them.

At times there are stereotypes about persons with mental illness:

They were leading very fulfilling lives and yet felt alone and would never share that they had a mental illness.  When I had stomach cancer 10 years ago, I asked so many people to pray for me since I was diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer.  Yet I, like many people I met, never before shared my story of having mental illness.

In the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Report:

Even though I had not read the statements from the Commission quoted above, I knew that success leads to success.

I shared my insights with my bother, John, in California.  The next morning he had the beginning of a website up for me.

Sharing the Hope, Sharing the Healing
www.hopetohealing.com

Our brother, Jerry, who lives in Florida, designs websites since he retired.  He helped us make the website user friendly, easy to navigate and positive and uplifting.  This is significant that the three of us siblings work together because so often persons with mental illness can divide a family.  This website has help to bring talents out in each of us in order to address very important issues regarding mental illness.  It is the first website of it’s kind, a website dedicated solely to sharing stories of persons with mental illness who have successfully met the many challenges of mental illness and recovery.

The vision statement of the website shares three important goals.

By sharing stories of success, the website will offer hope to the many persons still struggling with the challenges of living with mental illness.

The website stories are used as means of educating the public about mental illness.

The website stories serve as a means of overcoming stigma by sharing the great contributions to society that ordinary people with mental illness have given.

Since starting the website, many persons with mental illness have told me that sharing their stories has helped with their own healing and recovery.

I offer each of you the challenge of looking at successful stories.  What has lead to success in the lives of people?

For example:

Presently I am developing and coordinating Faith in Recovery programs in local faith communities.  We recognize that religion and spirituality are meaningful forces in the lives of persons with mental illness and substance use.  This is an opportunity for people facing mental illness and their families to come together, unburden and share their struggles with mental illness.  They discuss the strength they draw from their faith and gain ideas of recovery from others who have mental illness.

Periodically throughout the year the parish members are invited to attend presentations concerning mental illness issues by psychiatrists and psychologists.  It is our hope that through these educational programs we will able to lift the stigma associated with mental illness.

We speak of our own experiences and respect the experiences of others.  This is not a therapy group.  We offer support and encourage members in their own problem solving.

--- So, who am I? ---

I have been a nun for the last 42 years.

I had been a nursing home administrator.

I went to Cambodia with the American Red Cross
to work in a refugee camp.

I was editor of a NAMI newsletter.

I started the first nursing clinics for the homeless in Milwaukee.

For 25 years I have worked with persons with mental illness who were homeless, part of the criminal justice system or were institutionalized.  Most of this work was done as a volunteer.

Now I can share with you so many stories of success on our website.

As more stories are shared, I would like to see research done to identify traits of success.

I invite you to share your story!

Thank You & Blessings,
Sr. Ann Catherine Veierstahler, SCSJA, RN, BSN
srann@hopetohealing.com

Sr. Ann Catherine first gave this presentation at the 2004 Joint National Conference on Mental Health Block Grant & Mental Health Statistics in Washington D.C. on June 2, 2004 and has adapted it to this conference.