When I think about the experiences that have shaped me, one story stands out—the one that begins with my childhood companion, Lady. Lady was a German Shepherd, my best friend and confidant. I shared my entire childhood with her. She was my everything. Those were beautiful times, as I’ve always been an animal lover. But when I was seven years old, my world shifted. My parents separated, and with that came a separation from Lady. I can’t begin to explain the pain I felt. In our new living situation, having another dog wasn’t an option, and I had to adapt to life without her comforting presence.
Years later, as an adult, I made up for those lost years by fostering and adopting multiple dogs. To this day, I have dogs in my life and am always trying to convince my husband to adopt just one more. They bring me joy and a sense of purpose, a reminder of the bond I shared with Lady.
My journey into the mental health world didn’t begin with my own struggles but with those of others. In my early 20s, I began fostering children who were hard to place—children with diagnoses that required special attention and care. This work demanded extensive training and opened my eyes to the complexities of mental health. When I started having children of my own, balancing it all became too much, so I shifted to fostering children through the Department of Social Services. Little did I know, two of those children would eventually become my own.
By my early 30s, life was a whirlwind. I had what I thought would be my last child, made a big move, and experienced a divorce. Suddenly, I was a single mom to six kids, navigating the challenges of raising them while finding my footing. Throwing myself into the dating world was a leap of faith, and that’s how I met my now-husband, Jon, on a dating website. Just two weeks into our relationship, Jon told me he had bipolar disorder.
My initial reaction was, how can this work? My life was already chaotic. I had to think about how this could potentially affect my kids and me. But I decided to take it one day at a time. What I didn’t know then was that Jon wasn’t just a man with bipolar disorder—he was also an alcoholic with a bit of a gambling problem. Yet, Jon turned out to be one of the kindest, strongest, and most hardworking people I know. Our journey wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Every challenge we faced together prepared me for what has been my greatest challenge yet: raising our son, Grayson.
This is us: a family built through love, resilience, and determination. Every twist and turn in my life—from Lady’s companionship to the children I’ve fostered and adopted, to the partnership I’ve forged with Jon—has shaped me into the person I am today. And for that, I am deeply grateful.
