The Boy Who Fought to Fly You Could Have Been a Caterpillar, but You Chose to Be a Butterfly. ~A Guide to Surviving Mental Illness ~My Son's Journey

In and out of hospitals. Searching for answers to fix him was difficult. Never give up! My child is not crazy! He has an illness that is "crazy." His illness does not define him. He has a name and it is not that, "crazy kid." He is not contagious. He is human just trying to survive each and every day like a warrior. He lives inside his body and his brain can be messy at times. When he developed childhood mental illness he didn't understand! It was terrifying for him. Just when you fall you learn how to get back up.I owe my best qualities of compassion and unconditional love to my son. He has taught me to be the best I can be and do what I thought would be IMPOSSIBLE. His inspiring journey has touched many lives. There are mind-blowing moments, chaos, hope and love. All intertwined! My son's mental illness journey with all the hard times has brought much heartache, but our hearts have grown much bigger.I long to give my son a voice and share some tools that have worked for us to manage the storms. THIS IS MY SON'S STORY! I carry no shame in sharing with honesty, vulnerability, and a little whimsical. It is written from my heart. We never believed that our beautiful boy would have learning disabilities, a mental illness, hospital stays or serve jail time.