To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, we spoke to four delightful neurodiverse locals, Megan, Billy, James, and Carly, to hear about their experiences.
Megan, a pediatrician, and Billy, a successful florist, recently got engaged, and they just purchased their first home together.
James has always had political aspirations and recently became his district’s first ever elected official who is openly autistic.
Carly keeps getting fired from various jobs, but she’s proud to announce she just started flossing her teeth and has a two-day streak on her Duolingo app.
Megan said, “We’re just really excited to be starting our new lives together. People would assume that me, a bipolar woman, and Billy, a man with schizophrenia, could never become such a power couple, but they are wrong.”
James is on a mission to create new legislation that would give neurodiverse teens access to additional educational resources and career programs. “I know with the right support, the sky is the limit for all teens, regardless of if they are disabled or not,” he told us.
When Carly was asked what excites her most about her life these days, she gave a different answer. “Does bread count? I really love a warm roll, especially the ones with the poppy seeds.” Her outfit didn’t quite match, but she did mention that it wasn’t the same one she wore yesterday.
And like James, Carly has been on a mission of her own, trying to get a proper diagnosis after numerous doctors have struggled to accurately treat her. “I definitely got something going on!” she mumbled loudly. “Hopefully a diagnosis would lead to a treatment plan that works well for me. But honestly even if that takes a while, I’ll be alright. I’ll keep on doing my best, just taking on life one day at a time. I know I’m pretty weird, but I love my weird little self exactly the way I am.”
She smiled brightly, showing the world her freshly flossed teeth and her passion for poppy seeds.