This came across my Twitter feed today, and I couldn't help but tear up. If you have ever had someone in your life who struggles with mental illness and addiction, I'm sure this hits home for you as well. When you watch helplessly as a young person so full of talent turns their back to your love and the opportunities you have tried to provide, it hurts. It hurts like nothing else. Families live with the fear that their loved one will die. We have such poor systems in place to treat mental illness and addiction. Our current system criminalizes folks like Amy Winehouse instead of spending resources trying to find successful treatment.
May her tortured soul rest in peace and may her life and death spark a flame that ignites change for those with mental illness and those who love them.