Dear friends and family,
This is the first time that Anna, Eric and I are joining the ride for Mental Health 2022 in New Paltz New York. We will be riding on Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26 for approximately 50 miles, with 100% of rider pledges going to McLean Hospital to support their treatment, research and education of mental health.
This ride, and this moment, are particulary imporant to me because at this time two years ago, my daugther Anna was inpatient at McLean's for about 5 weeks in their AB2 unit. Without the support of the incredible care team, staff and doctors at McLean, we would not have been able to firmly step into the years-long journey of helping Anna "get back to baseline" and to where she is today. We are all so thankful to McLean and to all of you who stood with us and offered your love, understanding solidarity and support.
I learned so much- and continue to learn so much from our ongoing mental health journey. I learned how to navigate the private and public health system and came to recognize that while as hellacious and infuriating it was at times, that it was also my privilege that gave me a major leg up that so many people don't have. I learned about the incredible brilliance, generosity grace and intelligence of the human mind and spirit - Anna's, and that of her fellow patients at McLeans and later at Columbia Presbyterian in March 2021. And of course, the healers, doctors, nurses, security officers, judges, and others who are working so hard in this field.
In my daily work at the Union of Concerned Scientists I see how the toll that today's turbulent world is having on young people especially. We are not only in the middle of a syndemic (pandemic exacerbased by acute social inequities ), an existenial fight againts global warming and climate-change induced displacment, drought and conflict but a long overdue racial reckoning, fight against the assault of democracy and other tensions. The mental health crisis today is more acute than ever, and McLean has been for years, a pillar - in both research and care.
I'm hoping you will join Anna, Eric and I in our bike ride - or consider making a donation of any size to our cause.
Thank you in advance for your contribution to this worthy effort!
Sincerely,
Johanna