A lot of changes are in store for our family over the next
five weeks, and I couldn’t be more proud, or more emotional about it.
May 20 marks one year since MacKenzie returned home from her
last trip to the behavioral health unit of the hospital. Her demons are big and
ferocious and will always be there, but she is winning the battle. She has
matured so much this year, taking her self-care responsibilities seriously and
learning to better understand her mental illnesses. Of course, regular therapy
and proper medication are extremely important; understanding an illness and the
willingness to do the work it takes to stay well are also very important.
I believe her current successes show just how much she has
grown and how committed she is to taking care of herself. The cosmetology
program she is just about done with has not only prepared her for her future,
but it helped her to discover her passion and helped mold her into the
confident woman that she is. I give a lot of this credit to her teacher, who
saw a lot of lows and is now helping celebrate the highs. MacKenzie places
fourth in the Skills USA statewide competition for esthetics; she received the
Make All the Difference Scholarship from BOCES to continue her education in the field by attending barber school in the fall; and she will
graduate high school with her temporary cosmetology license.
Her senior project focused on ending the stigma around
mental health. She not only shared her struggles, but encouraged others to get
the help they need. She is determined to help others find the support and
success that she has found. She learned a lot about herself and her BPD during
the project and has become more adept at using her coping skills and seeking
help when she needs it. (We will continue in our advocacy for mental health and getting the attention it needs through action, not just words. Stay tuned.)
On May 10 she received the Youth Hall of Fame Award from our
Chamber of Commerce for fighting so hard to overcome her struggles and for
helping so many others. Last night was the award ceremony for the scholarship.
Next week she is receiving an academic award from the English Department. In
two weeks Jasmine has her Moving -up Ceremony as she prepares to enter high
school. MacKenzie will also have her BOCES graduation ceremony that week. And
as we approach the end of the month Vader will have a graduation ceremony for
pre-K and MacKenzie will walk the stage at her high school graduation.
I will be a
complete puddle of emotion by the time summer hits. But here we are. Here we all are as a family celebrating
everyone’s milestones together. And MacKenzie is here. A little over a year ago
we almost lost her to her demons. We almost didn’t have this. Almost. But we
didn’t crawl under a rock; she didn’t crawl under a rock. We fought as a
family. We persevered as family. We were her strength when she had none. We
kept going because we believe hope is real. Help is out there. It does get
better. The battle never ends, but we get stronger and better at fighting it. And
now we get to celebrate all of these milestones. Together.
