Focused attention and a listening ear: this is how we build a more empathetic society. United at first by geography - but soon enough, by much more - students from the University of Cincinnati and members of Queen City Clubhouse, a support community for people with serious mental illness, became ready friends. Over several months, they shared laughs and tears, memories and dreams.
These pages sing the songs of sixteen lives rocked by illness. Their integrity and strength ring true. Collected together, they are diverse portraits of persistence, community, creativity, and hope. Vibrant and moving, these stories show strength in the face of suffering and the light of a helping hand in the dark.
Each on our own journey, all of us are deeply human. These are our stories.