Volume 1, Issue 4

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has come to our attention, rather abruptly, that some readers (very few) are having a fit when they see a negative article in PIN (They skip reading the positive stuff – not stimulating enough we guess). I’d have you know, these individuals seem to think that everything done by EVERY service worker is hunky-dory. They don’t blink an eye in the face of hearing about abuse aimed at the consumers. It is not us that make the negative news, we merely report it. A few individuals in influential board/committee positions completely ignore it’s happening and strive to move on to something more positive in the committee/board agendas while covering their ears. Surly folks, it is a sad day when this affects our representation.  It has come down that these same individuals are occupying committee and board seats for self-recognition and self-importance while some consumers are drowning in abuse and neglect.

.  That is why we are here, your guiding light as to what is really going on out there. We don’t sugarcoat it. We are not on the county payroll and we don’t have to worry about getting fired or demoted. We don’t socialize with the good-ole-boys club. We are not trying to kiss-up to get better county services for ourselves. We just spell it out the way we see it. And, if that is disturbing to those delicate individuals that have not experienced the abuse, and therefore deny it is happening, then so be it. But, we are here to stay.  We realize that won’t always make everyone happy, and especially those that are distressed

 because in their views framing anything in the negative is politically incorrect. We are not involved in committees and boards to make friends or impress people. We do not utilize committee work to socialize and keep up with the Jones’. We are here to create awareness toward Performance Improvement. So don’t worry folks, issues of PIN will keep addressing the truth and excellence in writing. We are here working for you and validating your concerns in a very public forum – PIN
 

She reminded me of Marlo Thomas because of her look and hairstyles and also her persona. Marlo Thomas was not afraid to embark on a new television show about a single girl living on her own. JoAnn was independent and creating her own career. She was “That Girl”.

It was in 1983 in Dearborn, Michigan where she started a DBSA group. She had attended a few DBSA meetings in Chicago. She made a five-hour drive to Chicago on Mondays, her night off, for the meetings. The first meeting she attended included only two patients. Shortly after, the meetings grew so large they were held in an auditorium.

JoAnn was motivated to start a group in Dearborn so that she and others could share their feelings and stories.

JoAnn found four people from the

midland area to share their stories and they put an ad in the paper, asking – “Are you suffering from depression or are you taking lithium?, etc…” The first meeting was held at the Henry Ford Library and twenty-five people attended. Fifty people attended the next meeting. The DBSA group continued to grow and JoAnn continued to work very hard. She was doing too much and became depressed. Her doctor increased her medication but that didn’t work. Then her doctor prescribed a new medication for her called “desryel”. The combination of lithium and desryel worked and has continued to work great for JoAnn. JoAnn notes that because a medication works well for one person does not mean it will work the same for someone else. She kept the DBSA meetings going in Dearborn until 1986, when she moved to California.

By 1986 JoAnn had met Saul Kent, who would become her husband.

She was playing at a club on the outskirts of Detroit when they met. A friend told her she should meet this guy and that he knew a lot about vitamins. JoAnn had just finished her performance and as she walked toward Saul her opening words were “This gout is really bothering me.” As JoAnn remembers, she thinks that was a pretty funny opening line, but apparently, it worked! She does have a good sense of humor.

Saul wanted JoAnn to come with him to California to help him put together a conference he was going to do at the Disneyland Hotel. JoAnn hated the cold weather in Michigan anyways, so she packed up and left. JoAnn did the brochure and made all the preparations for the conference. JoAnn and Saul settled down and bought a home in Riverside, California.

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