NAMI Michigan NAMIWALK

Today I took the Silverwing to the NAMI Michigan NAMIWALK on Belle Isle. It was a great walk. There were lots of people there. I couldn't walk today as I have broken a bone in my foot so my ability to stand, much less walk is limited.

What I saw was many people walking, talking and having a great time. People with a mental illness, people who had family members who have a mental illness, friends of people who have a mental illness. There are more families involved now, I mean the ones with young kids. For a long, long time it always seemed to me that the people with an illness were around; sometimes they had parents and sometimes they didn't.

But now, there are families with younger kids involved. I am so glad that I have grandkids. (See grandkids to the left; Can't you just feel the love?) They would have been there today, but the truck was broken.

I would love to tell you that my meds changed everything, but what made the biggest change for me was the support that I got from people and for me, many of the people who did the supporting were NAMI members (both family and consumer members; I always get asked.) And yes, I am often a fan of NAMI Michigan. We don't always agree, but they are a major reason I am well. Of course they are also a major reason that I have learned to become a great advocate.

Anyway, back to the NAMIWALK stuff. I liked being able to hear the Recovery Band. There were other great singers, a lot of peer support specialists, USPRA Clubhouse members, JIMHO Drop-In Center members, and great people.

What I didn't like to hear (but did at the same time) was that there was a group there who were standing up and telling people that it is wrong for kids who have a mental illness to be in jail and prison because they are usually taken off their meds and isolated as they are kept away from the general prison population. How many times are family members encouraged to get tough on their ill family member. How many times doesn't that work well? NAMI Basics is coming into state this weekend.

The teams of walkers just keeps growing and growing. This is one of the ways that NAMI Michigan gets it's funding for the year so it can keep doing the education programs, supporting the Connection programs and all that other great stuff.

I'll steer you towards the pics as soon as I hear they are up.

Marty
Recovery That Rocks