Celebrating success - together

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.