My Bipolar Journey

After my first bipolar episode, I was able to maintain a balance with the help of family, friends, doctors and medication. Unfortunately during my manic period, I left a successful radio career and joined a professional sports team as VP of Sales and Marketing. This proved to be an unwise decision and I had to leave after 3 months. So, no job and 3 kids to support. I approached the major radio stations in town and was hired by one.

At that point, I was still in a depression so it proved very challenging to be in sales. My father was ultra supportive and we met every day for a year at St. Joseph’s Oratory. Incredible. And my best friend came to my house every day so that we could go for a walk. Amazing. Once I started to feel better, I decided to start a mental health support group and with my radio connections, we managed to have 45 people show up at our first meeting. On average, support groups typically have 5 – 10 participants. It was at that point that I realized people needed help. The support group was helpful to many people over the 10 year period that it existed, but it was also both therapeutic and cathartic for me. I left the radio business and joined a funeral and cemetery company as Director of Marketing. This would prove to be a good decision from the perspective of having a steady job that I enjoyed. I also got divorced and was diagnosed with diabetes. Plenty of challenges, but I did not give up. A dear friend of mine once described me as relentless.