Before coming to Rogers, I had spent 7 years in a constant state of crisis. Everyone had given up on me. I had been told I wasn’t allowed back to certain hospitals because they couldn’t help me, I had seen more therapists than I could count, which usually ended with me being kicked out of the practice after a hospitalization and being labeled a “liability.” I had tried every medication many times, in many different combinations. I viewed Rogers as my last chance to live.
When I arrived at Rogers for the FOCUS residential program in Oconomowoc, I had very low expectations. It felt like the last box I needed to check before I could say, “I tried my best, nothing worked, so now I can give up.” But that didn’t end up being the case.
From the moment I met my treatment team and the rest of the staff, I knew that this was going to be what saved me.
They all had so much hope for me when I wasn’t capable of having hope for myself. They never gave up, no matter how hard things got. We had to continuously think outside the box to figure out what would work for me, and they never let me down, even when I begged them to just give up on me so I could give up on myself. They fought their hardest, and I never once felt like they had lost hope in my ability to recover. After 9 weeks in the FOCUS residential program, my insurance decided to stop paying. I felt so frustrated and terrified, because I had finally felt like I was making noticeable progress, and I knew that if I had gone home then, I would surely relapse soon after.
My treatment team had to think extremely quickly and decided to submit an application for me to receive a grant via Rogers Foundation. They told me that there’s no guarantee, but that my determination and hard work for the 9 weeks I had already been there would make me a great candidate. I ended up receiving the grant for two weeks, which gave me the time I needed to cement everything I had learned and apply it to life outside of treatment.
I have now been out of residential for a year and a half, and I can confidently say that Rogers gave me my life back. I have returned to school to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a therapist, been able to maintain a job I absolutely love, gotten involved with a BPD advocacy organization that means a lot to me, and I got a puppy, who I have been training myself to become my service dog! Without Rogers and all their incredibly dedicated staff, I would not be here today. Rogers helped me create and maintain my Life Worth Living.
The patient came forward with her reason for sharing her story:
I struggled severely with mental illness in varying forms consistently for 8 years. For most of that time, I felt completely hopeless and didn’t think recovery was in the cards for me. I thought that’s just how my life was always going to be. After spending nearly 3 months in Rogers’ FOCUS residential program, I finally gained hope and was able to see that my life didn’t always have to be comprised of my struggles. I am extremely passionate about mental health advocacy and awareness because I want to help to show people that they, too, can achieve a Life Worth Living.
Another one of my passions regarding mental health advocacy is helping to raise awareness to the fact that mental health treatment is still extremely inaccessible to a majority of people due to the cost and insurance being unwilling to pay for necessary, life-saving care. I hope to make a difference in the lives of those still struggling with their mental health and the inaccessibility of treatment.
Matthias Schueth, executive vice president of Rogers Foundation, reflects on this individual’s heartfelt note:
Stories like these make our work so rewarding. It’s great to hear how the patient care grant program contributes to a patient’s ability to sustain long-term recovery. We are grateful to our donors, many of whom are former patients and families themselves, who are inspired to give back and make it possible for others to receive the same live-saving gift.
