You are NOT Your Illness - episode 255
What if you are diagnosed with a mental illness? You knew something wasn’t right but now you have the words, the information to get started on the process of healing. And that’s what it is, a process. You will never be done. No one will, no matter what they are dealt. With that in mind you can realize that you are not your illness. You can stop being silent because silence is suffocating. You can seek treatment, seek support in community, and seek the power of faith. These points and more were made by this week’s guest, Jesslyn McCutcheon during our conversation for Let’s Talk About Mental Health. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 26, she knows first-hand how to fight Goliath.
You can find Jesslyn at Fighting Goliath.
Sister in Christ. Compassionate. Willing to serve.
— Jesslyn McCutcheon
Leaving Your Mark
Thoughts from You are NOT Your Illness
It’s no small thing to be as courageous as Jesslyn has been in sharing her diagnosis with the world. I admire her chutzpah. She has done the hard work of acceptance and is helping to reduce the stigma by being vulnerable. As I often say, we don’t choose many of the things we end up going through while we are here. Mental illness? Cancer? Divorce? Death of a loved one? Loss? Betrayal? Ok, you get the idea.
I just got back from a memorial service. The man who passed was afflicted with PSP, progressive supranuclear palsy. Apparently it’s as awful as it sounds. It is a rare, progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, balance, and cognitive function. They say from onset to death is about 5-7 years. I’m unsure how long it was for him, Steve. What I want to focus on is not so much how he suffered, and without complaint I might add, but the way he lived. If you ever crossed paths with Steve you would quickly find out he lived by two mottos: The Golden Rule and Family First. He wouldn’t tell you these two things but you would see them in the way he showed up, everywhere with everyone.
Gracious, humble with a servant’s heart, integrity galore and a tireless work ethic. There was no task too menial, no person unimportant to him. As was said at the service, he knew to adhere to the big rules, and he was discerning enough to know when the situation called to bend the small ones. A grand sense of adventure with a knack for fun, person after person sang his praises. I adore his wife Kathy and admire their collective activism in what they viewed as important. Both of his sons, Tom and Joe spoke, eloquently, I might add. What a legacy.
Now I did not know Steve well yet our paths continued to cross here and there. One of his sons and one of ours grew up doing theater together. They have remained close friends for well over twenty years. That’s the last point I want to make about his passing: leaving your mark. One life can have tremendous impact and it all begins with what you hold dear, what you value as your priorities, what you live out. You inevitably pass that down to your children and it helps make them who they become, who they are. If you happen to be of outstanding character then chances are pretty good your kids will be a chip off the ol’ block. And that’s such a good thing. Especially in the case of Steve. Along with his wife Kathy, they have humbly created this ripple of goodness that has left only excellence in its wake. I for one am better off for having been an inspired observer of their lives. Thank you, Steve (and Kathy) for who you decided to be, and for how you lived that out.
Living out the legacy: friends for life.
The Three Musketeers: Shaun, Jen and Joe (Steve’s son)
