Type 1 Bipolar is my diagnosis but I try not to let the label get to me too much. I definitely think about it on a daily basis, but I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of it anymore like I was back when I was first diagnosed in 2006. Sure, the self stigma is still there, but it's beginning to fade.

I hope that by putting my story out there and by telling the world that I am living - and thriving - with this illness, I may inspire other women to seek the help and support they need in order to be able to have a family of their own if that is what they are wishing for. I was at an extreme low and was so devastated by the state of my mental health that I had convinced myself that I may never get the chance to become pregnant to start a family with my husband. But once I found the right medication and the right doctor, I was able to make my dreams of an amazing family come true and it was worth all the struggles and heartache, the five hospitalizations and the recovery time, to get where I am at this moment right now.

Lately at night when I am drifting off to sleep, I find that I am reminding myself how lucky I am to have an incredible husband who loves and supports me, two beautiful healthy children, an amazing family surrounding me in my parents, in-laws and sister-in-law, my brother and his wife, in addition to an extended support system of loving friends whom I trust so much. It sometimes doesn't seem real. But I am living proof that just because a person is living with a mental illness doesn't mean they can't work hard to manage it well. This blog is my way of giving back. I want to take the past sixteen years and share what I have learned from my journey to somehow help other young women who may have been feeling the way I was feeling back at the beginning of when it all started for me at the age of 26.

If you like what you are reading, and know someone who could benefit from my experiences, please, pass on the link to my blog. It is estimated that 7 million people live with this illness, so chances are within your family, friends, work, school, or church you probably know someone who may be suffering. They may find comfort in reading a story of someone who is doing better than average at managing it. I know I always do.