I started life simply enough, growing up in rural Montana in a conservative Christian home. While at college had an unplanned pregnancy and a rushed marriage (though we had been engaged). I studied Computer Science and took a summer internship in California with Hewlett-Packard. After a late night drinking, I was sexually assaulted and from that moment my life spun out of control. I stopped sleeping and eating and soon was full-blown psychotic. I have battled recurrent Mental Illness since. I changed my major to Nursing in the desire to help people like myself. I understand what it’s like to fight for your life against a demon no one understands. I’ve had people tell me to give up and collect disability. I’ve actually been on and come off disability twice. But I want to live, and work, and contribute to society. With medical management, full-time work is attainable, even for me. I started life simply enough, growing up in rural Montana in a conservative Christian home. While at college had an unplanned pregnancy and a rushed marriage (though we had been engaged). I studied Computer Science and took a summer internship in California with Hewlett-Packard. After a late night drinking, I was sexually assaulted and from that moment my life spun out of control. I stopped sleeping and eating and soon was full-blown psychotic. I have battled recurrent Mental Illness since. I changed my major to Nursing in the desire to help people like myself. I understand what it’s like to fight for your life against a demon no one understands. I’ve had people tell me to give up and collect disability. I’ve actually been on and come off disability twice. But I want to live, and work, and contribute to society. With medical management, full-time work is attainable, even for me.