Jackie is an MHAOhio Family Advocate volunteer. She knows first-hand what it’s like to care for someone with a mental illness. Her son, Jonathan, now 32 years old, was diagnosed with a mental health disorder when he was 23 years old.
“He was always a really great kid,” she said. “He was really smart, top of his class, and had a rock band in high school.”
But when he returned home from his junior year of college at Thanksgiving, she knew something wasn’t right.
“He was having auditory hallucinations, talking with someone who wasn’t there. I asked him about it and he denied it, but the following January he was very depressed,” she said.
When he first started showing symptoms, Jackie and the rest of the family were in denial. Jackie helped him as best she could while he was in and out of hospitals and going on and off his meds. When things weren’t getting better, she called MHAOhio’s Get Connected and was referred to MHAOhio’s Family Advocate program. Long-time volunteer, Ed, stepped in to help as her Family Advocate peer volunteer.
A peer is someone who has lived experience helping a family member, significant other, or friend with a mental illness. They have knowledge of the local mental health system and can lend support to Family Advocate participants when needed.
“He was a lifesaver for me because he understood everything,” Jackie said. “He was friendly, personable, and made it easy to talk. He got me all the way through the guardianship of my son.”
She reached out to Ed whenever she had questions or needed support. Sometimes they met in person, other times they spoke on the phone or texted.
“He’s a very innovative, capable person and he knows a lot,” Jackie said.
A few years later, Ed asked her if she would want to become a Family Advocate peer volunteer. Listening, figuring out how to get help, and navigating the mental health system are all skills Jackie had learned over the years as a caregiver. She knew how important it was to talk about it with someone who understands. She was ready to help others.
“Years ago, I had lunch with a friend of mine whose son had a mental illness, and she talked freely about it,” Jackie said. “It made me admire that and realize that this whole thing about not talking about it is really wrong. You need to talk about it, because it’s happening to you as much as your child.”
Jackie is the first participant to complete the program and become a peer volunteer. She has been a Family Advocate peer volunteer for eight months now, and has connected with several family members who’ve needed support.
We are grateful to volunteers like Jackie and Ed who help families through their difficult times. No family has to walk this journey alone. With Family Advocate peer volunteers, families caring for someone with a mental illness can experience understanding, encouragement, and hope.
