2021 JOURNEYS MAGAZINE
Stories of Hope
Skyland Trail Family: Gina
"I am overwhelmed, humbled and grateful for Skyland's generous assistance to help my 22- year-old daughter become healthy and whole again...
Thank you all for the diagnosis, treatment, incredible support, and for believing in my daughter. She is a warrior-woman and more than deserving of receiving the proper treatment to begin working toward her mental health and wholeness. I am so proud of her and again, am so incredibly grateful for the financial aid award.
It would be misleading to say life is perfect for her. She still has to work hard and go to therapy. But...I truly believe none of this would’ve happened without Skyland Trail. They gave her a foundation of how to participate and enjoy life. Therefore, her whole family can enjoy life! Thank you, Skyland Trail."
With sincere gratitude,
Gina
mother of a financial aid recipient
"Our daughter went into Skyland a shell of herself. When she came out a few weeks later, she was well on her way towards recovery."
We are parents of a Skyland Trail adolescent graduate. Although going through this experience with our daughter was traumatic, exhausting, scary and just plain awful, Skyland Trail was amazing. Let’s start from the beginning.
Our daughter, 13 years old at the time, was a happy, extroverted, well-rounded, thriving kid. She had a million friends, was involved in a slew of extracurricular activities, was a straight-A student in school, and loved by all who knew her. Then in March of 2020, the world as we knew it came to a screeching halt with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. School became virtual, activities were cancelled, friends weren’t allowed to see each other in person, and our daughter became depressed, lethargic, anxious and extremely unhappy.
"At times I felt like superwoman. I could work endless hours and take on any challenge at work...
And I’d do it all with a calm energy and a bubbly smile. My self-worth became defined by my academic and professional accomplishments, and those accomplishments defined my identity. And for most of my life I was able to do all these things AND manage my depression and anxiety with therapy and medication.
But everything changed in 2020. I was burnt out from my stressful job, which was compounded by the pandemic, numb from the deaths of two close family members, and reeling from a new diagnosis.
"My husband was willing to put everything aside, question everything he knew to be true, and go into treatment at Skyland Trail. I knew that, if he was making such a tremendous sacrifice, then I had to do the same...
From the beginning, I attended Family STEP meetings. STEP was instrumental in and the cornerstone of building a community for me. While my husband was becoming part of a community with his peers in treatment, I was making meaningful connections with the amazing and supportive families in STEP.
My family wouldn't be doing nearly as well as we are today without the unparalleled support I received from the families and staff at STEP.
Thank You to Our Event Sponsors
DID YOU KNOW? On average, adult clients admitting to our residential program participate in treatment for about 2 to 4 months, usually stepping down to day treatment as part of their journey.