It was an honor for me to have the opportunity to deliver a key note address at the OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Awareness event in Dallas, TX, on Saturday Oct 29. I talked about how bullying had triggered my OCD and how it manifested itself within the disease and the steps I had taken to attain recovery. It was attended by many OCD sufferers, their families and friends, and a number of mental health professionals. It was a wonderful experience.
I would like to share the following heart-warming comments from a couple of the attendees:
“Hello. We are Henry and Jennifer, the parents of the 19 year old gentleman you met at your seminar in Dallas,TX this past Saturday at the Richland community college facility. Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your story. Based on our son’s emotional response you can tell your story hit very close to him. Your story is a very emotional story. Dealing with bullying at such a young age and then OCD for almost half of your adult life. We are sorry this had to be your story, but we are very grateful of the person you have become. It cannot be easy to stand in front of strangers and re-visit what had to be the most difficult parts of your life. But it is obvious that you understand the importance of sharing your story with those who have shared the same struggles. And for that we thank you. We can only hope we can find the same courage to help those when we are called upon to share our son’s success story over OCD. Thank you for what you do.”
From: Henry, Jennifer and Christian
“My wife and I attended the OCD Conference this past weekend in Dallas, TX and were overjoyed to hear you speak. I could (painfully) relate to most of what you spoke of. I was diagnosed with OCD about 3 years ago and experience the “Pure O” type. Extremely unpleasant intrusive thoughts and that sort of thing. It was great to see you speak out in detail of your experiences and how you handled them. Just wanted to shoot this email your way to show my appreciation. I also bought a copy of your book “Life Interrupted”, so I am very much looking forward to reading that. Good luck with your future endeavors and stay strong!”
From: Ren H