15

Fifteen days from today I leave the lovely international airport here and arrive in Los Angeles. The following day at sundown I'll drive from the Santa Monica Pier to the Golden Gate Bridge before sunrise on Sunday. I'm $175 away from my goal. Brandon Marshall's jersey/uniform number is 15. If we could find 15 people to each give $15 that would be $50 more than my goal.

These are all facts, or at least representations of facts that could be. We are 15 days away. My support driver/passenger and I are meeting tonight to finalize some things. Thoughts about the drive and preparations for it consume my thoughts that I don't get much done at work. I don't know what to say, I honestly thought I wouldn't raise much more than $0 for the whole thing, so the fact that we're this close amazes, humbles, and astonishes me.
I'm doing this for mental health awareness, but I've talked very little about why this is important to me. First of all, it's very personal to me as I've struggled with problems basically my entire life but have only begun to get treatment, because of someone who supported me, understood me, and loved me enough to help me get help and make me understand that it was okay to ask for help. She will also probably cringe at that last sentence not only because it is about her, but because it is probably not done very well grammatically speaking.
Also, having just gotten back from an impromptu trip to visit a family member who had several brain surgeries to relieve some swelling on the brain, and it was thought that he wouldn't make it. So, we flew down to see him to either say last goodbyes or just be with family. What a surprise it was that the 2nd day we were there, we actually were talking to him and get him to smile and laugh. He still has a long way to go of course, but is making great strides. While this isn't a mental illness per se, it does illustrate to me how important the brain really is. It is literally in charge of everything, including lying to you about how you look, and making you feel miserable during what should be a happy moment. So why shouldn't we take care of it in the same way we would any other physical problem? It can be helped with medication, meditation, and/or a lot of support. The first step is just to realize you can ask for help, and that it shouldn't be a problem if you need it. That was my biggest hurdle, and I don't want it to be yours.

15 days, $15, 15 people, for a foundation for #15.