Broken Brain, Fortified Faith Lessons of Hope Through a Child's Mental Illness

The terms "mental illness” and “mental health” are often used casually, but many don’t believe mental illness is relevant to their lives. However, studies show that more people live with mental illness than heart disease, lung disease, and cancer combined.

 Broken Brain, Fortified Faith is the story of one family’s journey through schizophrenia, navigating the uncharted waters of mental illness to find help for their daughter, Amber, and support for their family. This memoir is an honest look at the stress, anger, education, and finally, hope experienced through eyes of a mother. Along the way, she questions her trust in God as their family encounters setbacks, inadequate treatments, and additional family health crises, but with the help of trusted family, friends, education, and support groups, author Virginia Pillars learns to rely on her faith as she faces the challenges that often accompany mental illness.

Virginia Pillars has owned and operated a business since 1994. She volunteers for the National Alliance on Mental Illness organization as an instructor for the Family to Family educational program and leads support groups. Certified in First Aid for Mental Health, she speaks on mental illness, operating a small business, and quilting for organizations, workshops, and faith retreats. She's had two pieces published in devotionals, four essays in various anthologies, including two in Chicken Soup for the Soul, and other works of nonfiction. Virginia, a mother of four adult children, lives on an Iowa farm with her husband.

Introduction

Chapter 1: Something’s Wrong

Chapter 2: No Help at All

Chapter 3: It’s All About Amber

Chapter 4: Cameras

Chapter 5: Home for Christmas

Chapter 6: Merry Christmas?

Chapter 7: Help

Chapter 8: Now Is the Time

Chapter 9: What Next?

Chapter 10: It’s Not working

Chapter 11: The Transfer

Chapter 12: Thanks for nothing

Chapter 13: Home Work

Chapter 14: Night Watchmom

Chapter 15: More Family Problems

Chapter 16: Four Years Later

Chapter 17: Ten Years Later

Resources

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