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You Don't Know Crazy
Wambui Bahati Inspirational Speaker
Category:
Self-Help
Publisher: JLW World Press
ISBN-10: 0982239807
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 400
Copyright: November 1, 2008
ISBN-13: 9780982239803
Price: $7.99 (eBook)
At times hilariously funny and always relentlessly honest,You Don’t Know Crazy presents an intelligent, informative portrayal of bipolar mood disorder and its effects on Bahati's self-esteem, career, relationships and day-to-day coping. When it seemed like her life couldn’t get any worse, she decided she only had two options - she could either live, or she could die. If she lived, she told herself it would be on her own terms. This inspiring woman not only ‘got up’ when everyone thought she was ‘out for the count’, but rose to new heights, and continues to soar.
Wambui Bahati, a.k.a. John-Ann Washington, shares a powerful, personal and important story about mental illness, self-esteem, self-love and courage. She was born and raised in the segregated south during the 1950s and 1960s and has sprinkled the narrative with significant national historical events, and how they personally effected her life. She invites us in for a behind the scenes look at her years as an actress on Broadway and in national touring shows.
At times hilariously funny and always relentlessly honest,You Don’t Know Crazy presents an intelligent, informative portrayal of bipolar mood disorder and its effects on Bahati's self-esteem, career, relationships and day-to-day coping.
Wambui also reveals exactly what she did that allowed her to reclaim her life, and she encourages the reader to understand that each and every one of us has an innate wisdom and strength that may have either been forgotten about, or the knowledge has been lost as to how to tap into that inner wisdom and strength. This book will show you how to find that within yourself, and reclaim your own life.
* She went from Broadway star to welfare mom.
* Some said she was dead.
* She was homeless.
* Others said she was on drugs.
* She was told she would spend her life in and out of mental institutions.
* She was told her children could no longer live with her.
When it seemed like her life couldn’t get any worse, she decided she only had two options - she could either live, or she could die. If she lived, she told herself it would be on her own terms.
For the past 10 years she has researched, studied and explored various ‘quality of life’ altering strategies. Her mission was to find out how to have a life of joy, peace and fabulous health – the best life possible! This inspiring woman not only ‘got up’ when everyone thought she was ‘out for the count’, but rose to new heights, and continues to soar. You Don’t Know Crazy gives you the inspiration and tools that will allow you to soar too!
Excerpt
Hello Old Friend
. . . That first night there an orderly came around with a little cup of pills. “This is your medication.” I took the tiny cup and poured the four pills in my hand and was about to throw them in my mouth. “No. No. Put the pills back.” Now, he was whispering. I was totally confused and was wondering if he was really a patient too. But I did as he said. He took the little paper cup back. He tipped the cup so that I could see inside. He pointed to each pill. He continued whispering.
“Take this one and this one. Do not take this one or this one. Put these two under your pillow and I’ll be back to get them later.” I whispered, “I thought I was supposed to take them all.” He pointed to two women that were in zombie-like states. One just stood motionless with her back against a wall, and the other woman rocked back and forth in a chair as she stared at the floor. “They take these.” He said, as he pointed again to the two pills I was to leave under my pillow. I was still confused and I wasn’t sure if I should trust him. I never took those two pills. I suppose it’s because of situations like this, that in my later hospital stays, someone would watch us take all of our medication and made sure we swallowed.
The next morning at the hospital, I woke up in great spirits and full of energy. I organized exercise classes. I helped some of the ladies fix their hair. I had conversations with the other patients, told funny stories and actually had a good time. The staff didn’t seem to mind that I was doing all of these things. It actually made their jobs easier. When medications came around, I always remembered to put those two pills under my pillow. I really wasn’t sure why I was there. I rarely thought about the suicide attempt. And going into the third day, I still hadn’t seen a doctor.
Of all of the unexplainable and unbelievable events in my life, what I’m about to share with you remains, in my opinion, right at the top. I do not even recall the details of how exactly I got this to happen. I was starting to get pretty restless on the psych ward. I was missing performing in Godspell. I don’t recall ever missing a show until this incident. Berlinda Tolbert, who would later become well know for the role of Jenny on the TV show, The Jeffersons, was covering my role.
Somehow—and I really don’t know how—who approved this—or who said what to whom—the hospital let me go do the show at night and then come back to the hospital. A man who worked at the theater would pick me up at the hospital a few hours before the show. I would leave the psych ward and go to Ford’s Theater, put on my costume and makeup, perform in the musical Godspell, take my curtain call with the rest of the cast, take my costume off and then was driven back to the DC General psych ward.
After a few nights of this, I was discharged from the hospital. However, my doctor, whom I hardly ever saw, sent me to a halfway house and insisted that this is where I should live . . .
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