GOOD AND BAD IN 2020 by Dede Ranahan

I’m pleased to report that Tomorrow Was Yesterday — Explosive First-Person Indictments of the US Mental Health System — Mothers Across the Nation Tell It Like It Is — is doing really well. Thank you to those of you who have already purchased and read our book (65 mothers from 28 states). Thank you to those who have left reviews on Amazon. Reviews help spread the word.

Some exciting new connections are developing from the publication of this book. Too soon to talk about, but more good things might be coming. Keep fingers crossed…

Click on this link to the book’s page on Amazon:

Meanwhile, goodbye 2020. What a year! A friend, just diagnosed with Covid says, “You don’t really have a bubble because people are careless.”

Please stay safe and well in 2021. Over and above surviving, may the new year bring you and your families many blessings. Love, Dede

Please stay safe and well in 2021. Over and above surviving, may the new year bring you and your families many blessings. Love, Dede

ALL THE BEST FROM ME TO YOU by Dede Ranahan

Thanks to my new kitty, Detective Lucas Whiskers, being sick, and getting old/er, I’ve “set up” my simplest Christmas tree ever. In this chaotic 2020 year, simple feels comforting to me. So I'm sending simple wishes to all.

MERRY CHRISTMAS1 HAPPY HOLIDAYS! STAY SAFE AND WELL.

MERRY CHRISTMAS1 HAPPY HOLIDAYS! STAY SAFE AND WELL.

TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY - INTRODUCING THE AUTHORS (4) by Dede Ranahan

Introducing authors of the 65 stories in Tomorrow Was Yesterday - Explosive First-Person Indictments of the US Mental Health System — Mothers Across the Nation Tell It Like It Is.

This book is now available on Amazon: Click on this link.

FROM NORTH CAROLINA
Gwendolyn Bartley: “It’s Kind of like a Daily ‘Sophie’s Choice’”
Gwendolyn is the mother of five (now adult) children through the blessing of adoption and natural birth. She is the founder and executive director of Amazing Grace Advocacy, a non-profit that supports families raising children with brain disorders in Concord, North Carolina. Gwendolyn serves on several community, state, and national initiatives to advocate for access to appropriate services for children with serious emotional disturbances (SED).

Sherri McGimsey: “What Would You Do?”
Sherri is a wife, mother of two sons, grandmother, business owners for 39 years, and a national advocate for SMI. Her eldest son, Matt, has schizophrenia. Sherri’s a member of NAMI South Mountains, North Carolina and serves on the NSSC (National Shattering Silence Coalition). She’s a trainer in NAMI’s Family-toFamily class and in the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) for police and law enforcement. “A Mother’s Prayer for Mental Illness” guides her on this journey.

FROM OHIO
Nikki Landis: “Nikki and Kevin”
Nikki is the mother of five and homeschools her children on a small farm in rural Ohio. She loves to read and learn new perspectives. Her childhood dream was to have a large family, live in the country, and write. She continues to pursue her dreams despite how SMI has affected her life and she encourages everyone to do the same.

FROM OKLAHOMA
Audrey Adams Auernheimer: “For Now I’m Thankful Adam is Alive”
Audrey is the mother of four children, three of whom have been diagnosed with mental illness. Her son, Marty, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 22. Her only daughter Candace was diagnosed with depression with suicidal ideation at age 12. Marty died at 28 and Candace died at 26 to suicide. Her 30-year-old son, also diagnosed, lives with her. The youngest son remains untreated and barely functional, mostly due to anosognosia.

FROM OREGON
Carole McAfee: “A Mother’s Fight”

Kecia Bolken Speck: “I’m Never Calling the Crisis Team or the Police Again”
Kecia is the mother of two adult children and currently lives in rural Oregon. She works in pediatric occupational therapy and takes care of her 29-year-old son full-time. Her dreams for the future are to change the education of first responders, to ensure the funding of skilled crisis teams, and to decriminalize serious mental illness. “My family’s lives depend on it. Nobody should ever have to go through this alone.”

Sharon Underwood: “Why Is This Okay?”
Sharon is a single mother of four. Her mentally ill son Tim is her youngest child. Sharon’s been a caregiver for the elderly for over 25 years.

FROM PENNSYLVANIA
Holly Alston: “Mommy Please Clear My Name”
Holly’s son suffered from schizophrenia and other mental health issues. He was in prison for over seven years while his mental health was ignored. When Terrell was in isolation, he would scrape his eyebrows off and pluck out his eyelashes. “He was released from prison 8/8/16 and by 8/20/16 he was dead.”

Mary A. Butler: “Let’s Talk About hopeful Voluntary Admissions”

FROM TEXAS
Joyce Berryman: “Stuck in Texas”

Channin Henry Williams: “I See Change Coming”
After 14 years of giving so much of herself to meet her daughter’s special needs, Channin is now focusing on her husband, hobbies, and finding her way. “Raven left the institution on her 18th birthday. Soon all communication stopped. My greatest nightmare came true. How should a mother like me grieve or even feel? It is my supportive family and faith in Jesus Christ that has given me strength and hope that change is coming.”

FROM UTAH
Heidi Franke: “I Am Livid. Shaking”
Heidi is an RN. She’s been living through the diagnosis of her youngest son’s pervasive mental illness and struggles with addiction. Her goal is to empower parents to speak up to help overcome obstacles to care for their children. “By telling our stories, we give permission to others to start telling theirs.” Heidi makes mending herself a personal daily engagement project “as we must put on our oxygen mask first to help those beside us.”

FROM VIRGINIA
Pat Wood: “Our Son’s Preventable Death”
After his first year of college, Pat’s elder son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “His death by suicide at age 38 was the outcome we’d fought against for years and was our worst nightmare come true.” Pat’s younger son also has a mental illness. “There have been many medications, hospitals, therapists, psychiatrists, and less-than-successful battles to get the services my children needed. My younger son’s uncertain future remains my concern and focus now.”

FROM WASHINGTON
April: “Helping Mr. K.”
April is a wife, retired direct marketing creator, and sibling to Mr. K. Her mother died seven years ago with no plan in place for her brother’s care other than the designation of “Social Security Payee.”

Jerri Clark: “My Goal Is Not Happiness but Human Understanding”
Jerri advocates for treatment access in Washington State where she started Mothers of the Mentally Ill (MOMI). She and her husband (married since 1994) have a daughter and two grandsons. Their son Calvin died from suicide March 1, 2019.

Jerri Clark with son Calvin

Jerri Clark with son Calvin

TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY - INTRODUCING THE AUTHORS (3) by Dede Ranahan

Introducing authors of the 65 stories in Tomorrow Was Yesterday - Explosive First-Person Indictments of the US Mental Health System — Mothers Across the Nation Tell It Like It Is. Available on Amazon in December.

This book is now available on Amazon.

FROM MAINE
Jeanne Gore: “We Need A Revolution”
Jeanne is a family member and Coordinator and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for the National Shattering Silence Coalition (NSSC).

Laurie Turley: “They Should Have Let You Help Me. I Wasn’t in My Right Mind.”
Laurie is a musician, music teacher, wife, mother, grandmother and advocate of “treatment before tragedy.”

FROM MARYLAND
Amy Kerr: “I Feel Incredibly Blessed”

Laura Pogliano: “Zac, My Darling Son” & “Let’s Talk About Real Issues"
Laura is a training and education consultant in Baltimore, Maryland. She lost her only son, Zaccaria, to schizophrenia in 2015. Laura is a former board member of SARDAA (Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America) and leads the Maryland SARDAA State chapter advocating for reform and the reclassification of schizophrenia to neurology.

FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Mara Briere: “A Problem Shared is a Problem Halved”
Mara is the mother, aunt, daughter, and sister of adults with serious mental illness. She’s a Master’s Level Certified Family Life Educator. She founded a nonprofit for families uprooted by mental illness, Grow A Strong Family, in order to generate, share, and develop the resources, support, and network that families like hers need and do not have.

Donna Erickson: “What I’ve Learned About Our Broken Mental Health System”
Donna is the mother of a son (age 35) who has a serious brain illness. “As a mental health reform activist, I hope to see much needed major changes for our loved ones. We are long overdue for a better mental health system.”

Deborah Harper: “I Feared He’d Be Blown to Pieces”
Deborah is a teacher, mother, and friend. She is a designer and photographer. She is a Christian/Catholic.

FROM MICHIGAN
Sarah C.: “It Feels Like the State of Michigan Wants Me Dead”

Kimberlee Cooper West: “Walk A Mile in Our Shoes”

FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE
Theresa A.: “You Don’t Matter” & “There’s No Limit to What a Mother Will Do”
Theresa has been a preschool teacher for many years. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband.

Ashley Doonan/Cathie Curtis: “I Am Ashley. I Define Me.”
Cathy’s daughter Ashley fought a good fight to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness in academia, the workplace, the correctional system, and society as a whole. Cathie says, “Although she is no longer with us, I am her voice.”

FROM NEW JERSEY
Julia Gillies: “This is Exhausting”
”I’ve been a mental health advocate in New Jersey for 11 years. I read. I research. I witness the suffering of those with mental illness as a loving mother. I send emails, texts, and letters, and make phone calls. Yet, my cries for help often go unheard. Change doesn’t happen until action occurs to help those suffering with SMI. We must wake up, educate others, and be persistent.”

FROM NEW YORK
Tama Bell: “Nightmares in the Daylight” & “10 Myths Mental Health Officials Tell Us About Our Kids”

Laurie Lethbridge Christmas: “What an Effing Nightmare”

Karen Riches: “Our Pledge”
”I’m a mom. My son meant the world to me. Jacob suffered with serious mental illness. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Too bad that my son meant nothing to the medical community. He died because of their beliefs and lack of knowledge about mental illness.”

Laura Pogliano’s son, Zaccaria

Laura Pogliano’s son, Zaccaria

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732974527/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tomorrow+was+yesterday+ranahan&qid=1606247459&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A2656022011&rnid=618072011&s=books&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732974527/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=tomorrow+was+yesterday+ranahan&qid=1606247459&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A2656022011&rnid=618072011&s=books&sr=1-1

TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY COMING TO AMAZON NEXT WEEK by Dede Ranahan

So Excited!

Tomorrow Was Yesterday authors great news! Our book will be available on Amazon the end of NEXT week. Be bold. Be proud. Be comfortable in what we're doing — getting our stories out to the unknowing public. I know we'll make an impact. Thank you and love to all of you. Dede

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TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY - INTRODUCING THE AUTHORS (2) by Dede Ranahan

Introducing authors of the 65 stories in Tomorrow Was Yesterday - Explosive First-Person Indictments of the US Mental Health System — Mothers Across the Nation Tell It Like It Is. Available on Amazon in December.

FROM CALIFORNIA
Francie VanZandt: “Prepare Myself? How Do I Do That?”
Francie is 62-years-old and the mother of five children. She’s spent many years working at the elementary school in her rural community. “I am a strong woman. Life has not been easy. Like all of us, a few rough times have come my way. Some of those times I didn’t think I could survive. I did. I manage to begin each new day with the hope I can make a difference for someone.”

FROM COLORADO
Darlene Watkins: “Please Don’t Kill My Son”

FROM CONNECTICUT
Kendra Burgos: “The Caregiver’s Sadness”
Kendra’s hope is that others will know there is love and joy despite the many challenges of living with someone with mental illness. “I am grateful to my husband for teaching me how to love unconditionally and to my children for their strength because it is the family’s struggle as well.” Kendra wants others to know that we are not alone, and there is strength in our stories.

FROM FLORIDA
Ronnie Blumenthal: “No One Asks. She’s Been Erased.”
Ronnie is a mother, advocate, writer, daughter, and wife. “It won’t change unless we talk about it.”

Allison Brown: “Fighting for Change”
Allison is a 37-year-old wife and mother of three. “I want a better life for my kids than I had. I hope to be a voice of change for mental health reform.”

Sylvia Charters: “There’s No Help in the USA”
Sylvia is the mother of two sons. Her son, Jason, had bipolar disorder with psychosis. He passed at age 40 with cardiomyopathy. Her youngest son is undiagnosed and living, homeless, on the streets of Phoenix and is addicted to street drugs. He has symptoms of bipolar disorder. “There’s no help whatsoever for the mentally sick in the USA.”

Sandy Turner: “He Has Schizophrenia, Your Honor”

FROM IDAHO
Angela McCandless: “We Don’t Help People Here”
Angela is mother to four children and grandma to four children. She writes:,“Here are four words to describe me: 1. Organized — organize don’t agonize. 2. Determined — I’ll never give up fighting for my son. 3. Spiritual — I don’t believe in miracles — I rely on them. 4. Kind — I love making someone’s day. My hobbies are decorating and cooking. A favorite quote: ‘If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.’”

FROM ILLINOIS
Jacque Cowger McKinney: “Too many Families Live This Pain”

FROM INDIANA
Kelli Nidey: “Have You Seen My Son?”
Kelli lives in a little river town in the Midwest. “I hope we can find causes and cures for neurological illnesses in my lifetime”

FROM IOWA
Leslie Carpenter: “What Do I Dream Of Now?”
Leslie is an advocate for people with serious brain disorders in Iowa, along with her husband Scott. They advocated on federal policy changes with all the democratic presidential candidates during the 2020 pre-caucus season. Leslie is a board member of NAMI Johnson County and teaches Family-to-Family, NAMI Provider training, and serves on the Advocacy and Outreach Committee. The Carpenters have two adult children, one of whom lives with schizoaffective disorder.

Dawn MacTaggart Connolly: “What Is the Answer?”

FROM KENTUCKY
Harriet B.: “I’m Going to Brag About My Son”

Martha: “Everyone Needs Hope”
Martha is the proud mother to her son who lives heroically with SMI (or neurological brain disorder). Along with advocacy and prayer, “I long for the day when our loved ones who are suffering will have the opportunity to receive effective, compassionate care like all others.”

Joann Strunk: “Finding Sarah”
Joann is the mother of a smart, beautiful young woman of 33 who has been seriously mentally ill since age 16. “The battle to get her the care that she needs has been horrendous. Our mental health system is beyond broken.”

COMING UP: Mothers from Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York.



Leslie Carpenter

Leslie Carpenter

TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY - INTRODUCING THE AUTHORS by Dede Ranahan

Over the next few weeks, it will be my privilege to introduce the authors of the 65 stories in Tomorrow Was Yesterday - Explosive First-Person Indictments of the US Mental Health System — Mothers Across the Nation Tell It Like It Is. Available on Amazon in December.

From Alabama
Margie Annis: “Losing My Child Barbarically”
Margie sees herself as a mother first in what is important in life. She has nothing but unconditional love for her children (sons). The youngest was difficult and different. “We are all learning as we live life to understand it. When this son was a man the sky fell in and, now, he is gone forever. Our love for him will never die.”

GG Burns: “Anosognosia — #1 Enemy”
George Burns writes: “My late wife, GG Burns, was an incredible advocate for those who suffer from SMI. Gina, as I call her, was a wonderful, loving mother and unbelievable artist — with no boundaries to her creativity. I will always love you, Gina Burns.”

From Arizona
Cheri VanSant: “We Need Holistic Healthcare for People with SMI”
Cheri is a 65-year-old retired RN and the mother of a 43-year-old son with serious mental illness. She used to teach NAMI’s Family-to-Family classes and advocated for family members and those who struggle with the illness. As a healthcare professional at the time of her story, “I was unaware of how dismissive doctors and nurses were to this dear woman’s illness and was curious how often this occurs.”

Christi Weeks: “Please Help Find Ryan”

From California
Anonymous: “I Just Want My Beautiful Boy Back”
”I’m still new at having a son diagnosed with mental illness and with navigating the system for help. Any system requires a herculean effort. I hope and pray for a better future for those who have mental illnesses.”

Kathy Baker: “Letter From Solitary Confinement”

Judy Waldo Bracken: “Between Now and the Next Full Moon”
Judy is the mother of three sons, and is a writer and a swimming coach living in the East Bay, California. In 2010, her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and her middle son with serious mental illness while a senior in college. The following years were full of cancer treatments, clinical trials, police calls, psych wards, and 5150s. Since then her husband has passed away and her son has been placed under LPS conservatorship.

Sonia Fletcher Dinger: “Our Family Tragedy”
Sonia lives in Mount Shasta, California with her second husband, a dog, a cat, and 15 chickens. She works part-time at a rural hospital and has served on the County Behavioral Health Board. Her daughter Christina is on conditional release from Napa State Hospital. She lives in a group home, has a part-time job, and continues to work hard toward recovery. “I am so proud of her. We speak on the phone almost every day.”

Deborah Fabos: “What Are Your Family’s Numbers?”
Deborah is the mother and caregiver of an adult son with a neurobiological disorder more commonly known as schizophrenia. She’s an advocate for family members/caregivers and those w ho suffer with the consequences of untreated and treatment-resistant anosognosia (lack of insight into their condition). Deborah created a Facebook support page and has been its administrator for six years. “I passionately support the reclassification of schizophrenia under neurology.”

Val Greenoak: “Jesse and Me”
Val is the mother of five. Jesse was her fourth son. All her children are grown. “I live quietly on a couple of acres in the redwoods.”

CJ Hanson: “Beyond My Understanding of What Being Human Means”
Catherine J. Rippee-Hanson is Linda Rippee Privatte’s twin sister and Mark Hanson’s sister. They’ve been seeking help and services for Mark for 33 years. “It’s not gotten any easier. I can no longer go out looking for him and have to rely on Linda’s accounts of losing and finding him over and over again. Local, regional, state, and federal laws impede our path every step of the way.”

Rhonda Meth: “We Received the Worst Call of Our Lives”
Rhonda is more of a spiritual person than religious. She’s grateful for her husband, daughters Monica and Amanda, and her family and good friends. Usually, she’s a calm person and strong mentally. She enjoys yoga, reading books, and painting. “The loss of our Monica was devastating. It left a hole in our hearts that will never be filled.”

Teresa Pasquini: “Teresa and Danny”
Teresa advocates for reforming the nation’s mental health system. As a family member of a son and brother living with SMI, her 45-year personal experience drives her passion. She’s provided testimony in forums including the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, the National Quality Forum, and an event on Capitol Hill advocating for “The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.” The Bay Area Newsgroup recognized Theresa for her local advocacy during the 2017 Women’s History Month.

Linda Rippee Privatte: “Rewind and Erase”
Linda advocates, along with her twin sister CJ Hanson, for their traumatic brain-injured, blind, SMI, homeless brother. She seeks legislative changes that would allow him to receive treatment for the brain disease that is his serious mental illness. “The mental health system has collapsed on the backs of the families of SMI loved ones, while tying their hands legally.”

Dede Ranahan: “Looking for Joy”
Dede is the editor of Tomorrow Was Yesterday and the author of Sooner Than Tomorrow — A Mother’s Diary About Mental Illness, Family, And Everyday Life. She dedicates her mental illness advocacy to her son Patrick (1968 - 2014). She has three daughters and six grandchildren. “I love them lots.”

Rebecca Reinig: “I’m Prepared for Joey’s Death”
”I am a mother, advocate for my son, pacifist, and trying to be one of the voices for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Ellie Shukert: “Dorothea Dix Reborn”
Ellie volunteered during the 1960s at the Worcester State hospital in Massachusetts. It was established in 1830 and expanded during the 1840s, largely through the efforts of Dorothea Dix. This hospital, now Worcester Recovery, still serves SMI patients in a modern facility. Dorothea had a “breakdown” herself and was cared for in England by a practitioner of “moral treatment.” She wanted others to have a chance to become well again. “That lady ran right over stigma.”

Kat Shultz: “A Mother’s Request in Court”
Kat is the 51-year-old mother of five children. Her eldest child passed away in 2013. She’s been a teacher since 1991 and currently teaches fourth grade.

Maggie Willis: “This Is My Beloved Grandson and I Fear for his Future”
Maggie was raised in the Santa Clara Silicon Valley in the 50s and 60s. She became a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. “My first grandchild helped me understand that people do not consider brain problems the same as other medical problems; and the caretaker not only suffers from watching her loved one suffer from a tortured brain, but from the ignorance of friends and family.”

COMING UP: Authors from Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Kentucky.

Gina (GG) Burns: In Memoriam

Gina (GG) Burns: In Memoriam

TOMORROW WAS YESTERDAY PUBLISHING UPDATE by Dede Ranahan & 64 Co-Authors

Dear Readers,

Here’s an update on Tomorrow Was Yesterday — Explosive First-Person Indictments of the US Mental Health System —Mothers Across the Nation Tell It Like It Is.

The book is moving through production. I’ll receive the printer’s proof in the next couple of weeks. There are some delays in publishing due to COVDI-19, but with luck, Tomorrow Was Yesterday will be available on Amazon by the second week of December. Hopefully in time for Christmas ordering. It will also be available through special order at Barnes & Noble and other IngramSparks outlets.

From the back cover:

In these snapshots from on-going sagas, you’ll read about grim realities — terrible group homes, suicides, adult children killed by police, incarcerations, solitary confinement, lack of beds, family chaos, substance abuse, ineffective medications, heart-breaking HIPAA restrictions, hallucinations, homelessness, sorrow, hurt, and anger. Simultaneously, you’ll read about profound love, caregiving, gratitude, forgiveness, hope, strength, persistence, resilience, generosity, leadership, courage, pursuing dreams, understanding, and heroism.

Please read our stories. Set aside any conscious biases about serious mental illnesses (SMI) and the people and families who struggle with them. Imagine us as relatives or friends — people you care deeply about. We mothers, in Tomorrow Was Yesterday, are counting on you to help us use outrage and compassion to reach a tipping point for change. We’re relying on your word of mouth support to get these stories out to the broader, unknowing public. It has no idea how abysmal things are.

 —Dede Ranahan

“I am confident these stories will cause the world to wake up, take notice,
and implement the change we so badly need.”
—Miriam Feldman, painter and author of 
He Came In with It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness

“Reading these intimate accounts will change you. It changed me.”
—Steve Goldbloom, Emmy-nominated writer, producer, director, and creator of the
  Brief But Spectacular series for PBS NEWsHour. The show’s mission is to
 invite viewers to walk in someone else’s shoes.

“If these stories can't convince policy makers, I don't know what will.”
—Mindy Greiling, Minnesota legislator for 20 years, and author of
 Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker's Fight for Her Son.

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