What Uncle Kevin's Lived Expertise Taught Me

Kevin Joseph Ryan was many things. To many in the San Francisco Bay area, he was a lifesaver. To my family, he was the one who brightened our days. To me, he was Uncle Kev. Uncle Kevin embodied a collection of men in my family who had been dealt a difficult hand in life. For 30 years, he lived with the disease that is substance use. For the next 30 years, he was in recovery. During that time, he became a true humanitarian, reaching out to those experiencing his disease and many other disorders. Reaching out to me. I have a brain disease called bipolar disorder. I attempted to die by suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge when I was 19. When I got out of the hospital, Uncle Kevin was there with the "soup of the day" from all over the city, and what seemed like every independent film that ever had come out. Just as important, he came bearing conversation, attention, love, kindness, and care. My subsequent and continuous recovery--a daily, sometimes minute-by-minute process--requires treatment, hard work, and unwavering resilience. I have Uncle Kevin and my father, Patrick, to thank for the latter. Together, they showed me how to fight moment-to-moment brain pain. As I entered various psychological wards over the years, Uncle Kevin would come to see me, arms filled with cookies, comics, and books. He gave me books on public speaking, suicide prevention, and behavioral health. I learned more than I could have bargained for. As I embarked on a public speaking ca...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news