As a person who is in recovery from a serious mental illness, I have a passion to share my hope with all consumers throughout the country that recovery is possible. For too long, our mental health system has focused on maintenance of symptoms and not the consumer’s ability to move towards recovery.

With the advent of more effective medications in the mid-nineties, my broken brain was finally able to heal from 15 years of psychosis and instability.

I learned that while the medications restored the natural functions of my brain, it was up to me to heal my life. I was determined to have a healthy life that was meaningful and rich with hope. I want all consumers to have the life that I now experience. I want all family members to have the hope that their loved one can become the person that they were meant to be.

With this desire as my mission, I have begun an advocacy focused enterprise that spreads my message of wellness, positive expectations, relationships and recovery through products that market the “EXPECT RECOVERY!” slogan.

I want to give back the support and understanding offered to me by my NAMI family (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and other friends and advocates.

My signature color is green to represent growth and prosperity.

I introduced these bracelets at the NAMI National Convention this year and was excited to see this green band of hope on so many wrists!

Together we will spread this vision of recovery and affect change within ourselves and the people who serve us.

EXPECT RECOVERY!

Excerpt  from Diana’s speech at a Celebration Recovery Event in Orange County

“For me, it’s all about recovery and moving forward. I used to think of myself as mentally ill or schizophrenic or manic-depressive and that was how I lived my life – like I WAS my illness. As I began to recover and learn that I had potential for much more, I began to think of myself as a person with an illness in my brain. When the right medications came along and fixed the broken parts of my brain, I was able to finally overcome the thoughts and feelings that had defined me as an illness. I discovered I was human like everyone else and I deserved a good life. I also discovered it was up to me to make my life good and to make it count. I started to place different expectations on myself.”

“Recovery is very hard work and it does not happen over night. I don’t see our mental health system focusing on what is really necessary for recovery - RELATIONSHIPS. I would like for us to all focus on what people with mental illness CAN DO. Besides making sure that people with serious mental illness receive the best medications, let’s ensure that they receive compassion, hope and most of all, friends. EXPECT RECOVERY! I now drive myself to work 5 days a week and can’t believe that I am doing this! We lose momentum in moving forward when we don’t celebrate success. We offer people support and the feeling that they are not alone. Consumers gain confidence that their lives can and will be better!”