jane says .. chapter20

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Chapter 20 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Marissa Varcho <[email protected]>

Senate Civil Justice 1.22.14

Groseclose, Emily <[email protected]> Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 2:30 PM

Good afternoon,

Attached is the Senate Civil Justice Committee notice for Wednesday, January 22nd. Members are asked tosubmit amendments electronically to the Chairman’s office 24 hours prior to committee. Witnesses are asked tosubmit any written testimony to the Chairman’s office electronically 24 hours prior to committee.

Thank you,

Emily Groseclose

Legislative Aide

Senator William P. Coley, II

4th Ohio Senate District

614.466.8072

[email protected]

Civil Justice Committee Notice 1-22-14.doc74K


Cancellations

Marissa Varcho <[email protected]> Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 3:55 PMTo: "Harrison, Gianna" <[email protected]>, "Sen. Schiavoni-OSCJC-Member Aide"<[email protected]>Bcc: Marissa Varcho <[email protected]>

Hi Gia and Jenna,

Please cancel my upcoming scheduled appointments with the senators.

Thanks very much,

Marissa K. Varcho

[email protected]

http://thecultivationofbeauty.com

http://janesaysrise.com



Geoffrey Collver <[email protected]> Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 3:56 PM

To: Geoffrey Collver <[email protected]>

FYI – please see attached. Both HB 104 and SB 43 are up for a hearing in Senate Civil Justice next week – SB

43 appears ready for a vote. I am not sure what the Committee plans on doing with these bills.

From: Groseclose, Emily [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 2:31 PMSubject: Senate Civil Justice 1.22.14

[Quoted text hidden]



Discussion with Dispatch Reporter about concerns with HB 104/SB 43

Geoffrey Collver <[email protected]> Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 9:49 AMTo: "Pat Risser ([email protected])" <[email protected]>, Jack Cameron <[email protected]>,"Jack Cameron ([email protected])" <[email protected]>, Marissa Varcho<[email protected]>, Ken Jones <[email protected]>, "M. Vanessa Eubanks([email protected])" <[email protected]>, "Suzane Beachy ([email protected])"<[email protected]>Cc: Stacy Brannan <[email protected]>, Michael Kirkman <[email protected]>

Folks – We are having some trouble arranging this meeting with the reporter so please be patient. If we can’t getsomething scheduled sooner rather than later I was going to encourage him to perhaps even reach out to you allby phone, with your permission of course -- If this is ok with you please let me know? Hopefully, I will have moreinformation about this meeting to share with you.

Best,

geoff

From: Geoffrey Collver Sent: Monday, January 13, 2014 3:29 PMTo: Pat Risser ([email protected]);; Jack Cameron;; Jack Cameron ([email protected]);;Marissa Varcho;; Ken Jones;; M. Vanessa Eubanks ([email protected]);; [email protected]

Cc: Stacy BrannanSubject: Discussion with Dispatch Reporter about concerns with HB 104/SB 43

Friends and Colleagues:

A few weeks ago, Alan Johnson, a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch wrote an article on HB 104/SB 43 that wedid not think gave a full and fair impression of some of the perspectives on this legislation and the issue ofinvoluntary commitment. We contacted him and encouraged him to meet with some consumers and advocateswho oppose the bill in order to write a more balanced and fair story. He has agreed and is willing to come over toDRO and meet personally with some folks and chat about this legislation and other related matters.

Accordingly, would you be available and willing to meet with and talk to Dispatch reporter Alan Johnson aboutyour concerns with HB 104/SB 43 and your perspectives on involuntary outpatient commitment, coercivetreatment and the community mental health system generally?

DRO would be hosting the meeting and facilitating the conversation. You would be speaking from your personalor professional experience and rounding out his understanding of the issue.

Please let me know ASAP if you would be interested in attending this type of event and if you will be available at

the end of this week or next week?

Geoffrey Collver

Policy & Communications Director

Ohio Disability Rights Law and Policy Center

50 W. Broad Street, Suite 1400

Columbus, Ohio 43215-5923

614-466-7264 or 800-282-9181 ext. 102

Fax 614-644-1888

TTY 614-728-2553 or 800-858-3542

[email protected]

www.disabilityrightsohio.org



Groseclose, Emily <[email protected]> Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 1:36 PM

To clarify, S.B. 43 is scheduled for possible sub-bill and amendments. At this time, it is not the Chairman’sintent to vote on it next week.

Sorry for any confusion!

Emily Groseclose

Legislative Aide

Senator William P. Coley, II

4th Ohio Senate District

614.466.8072

[email protected]

From: Groseclose, Emily Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2014 2:31 PMSubject: Senate Civil Justice 1.22.14

Good afternoon,




Apology

Marissa Varcho <[email protected]> Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 3:12 PMTo: Geoffrey Collver <[email protected]>, Betsy Johnson <[email protected]>, Laura Sigal<[email protected]>, Lisa Valentine <[email protected]>, Jack Cameron <[email protected]>Bcc: Mary Turocy <[email protected]>, Marissa Varcho <[email protected]>, RachelVarcho <[email protected]>, April Friedman <[email protected]>

Geoffrey, Betsy, Laura, Lisa and Jack,

I just want to apologize for not having emailed out the AOT-compromise proposal yet as I'd promised to youpreviously. I had a health-related issue arise which had to be taken care of immediately. In addition, the more Ibegan to exam the Sub.H.B.104 meat, the more complicated the goal has grown to be.

I plan to finish the proposal and present it in attachment to my paper for next Wednesday's hearing with the SenateCivil Justice Committee. Since they plan not to vote, but rather only consider amendment's as per Emily's emailtoday-- I think the timing will still be okay.

I just don't want to do a half-a-sed job. I've given up everything material in my life for this one final attempt tomake a difference for these kids. I can't afford to invest into it, from what I have to offer internally, anything lessthan my everything.

That being said, I loathe breaking my word, and do apologize for coming up short.

Hope to see you all next Wednesday.

Sincerely,

Marissa K. [email protected]://thecultivationofbeauty.comhttp://janesaysrise.com


OACBHA/County Board Issues re: Ohio's AOT Law Compromise-Proposal

Lisa Valentine <[email protected]> Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 5:44 PMTo: Marissa Varcho <[email protected]>

Hi Marissa,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I was out of the office. In response to your questions:

1. The majority of the funding was not distributed on a pro-rata basis and at this point it would be very incorrectto presume that counties are now on equal footing in regards to access to services;;

2. Most boards are moving forward with spending the money but have been cautious as the Department ofOhioMHAS has said that these funds will be targeted in FY 15 appropriations and very possibly eliminated theyear after. Boards are being judicious in the manner they are offering/developing programming but are beingcautious in building new programming/activities that might have to be shut down later due to the state fundingsource being removed.

I hope you have a good day and weekend.

Lisa

From: Marissa Varcho [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, January 10, 2014 11:45 AMTo: Lisa ValentineSubject: OACBHA/County Board Issues re: Ohio's AOT Law Compromise-Proposal



Apology

Marissa Varcho <[email protected]> Thu, Jan 16, 2014 at 7:07 PMTo: Geoffrey Collver <[email protected]>, Ken Jones <[email protected]>, Pat Risser<[email protected]>Bcc: Marissa Varcho <[email protected]>, April Friedman <[email protected]>, Mary Turocy<[email protected]>, Rachel Varcho <[email protected]>

Hi guys,

I just want to apologize for my outburst of emotion yesterday. Pat, I'm a little confused now after our recent emails

as to your status with mental-illness (i.e. whether you have one or not), but Ken -- I know you know, there are just

good days and bad. Not a whole lot of in-between ones, just good and bad, and on occasion - super good

and/or unbelievably bad. Yesterday, for me, was an unbelievably bad...

The necessary points I meant to get across that I muddied all up with my emotion yesterday, were these:

1. I still feel like I am alone and without support in this advocacy process because I keep finding out that I've been

told less-than-whole-truths;

2. That when others do that, I feel disrespected - and that I actually would prefer to be told "there is more to the

story which I cannot tell you right now, for reasons that I cannot disclose" rather than a less-than-whole-truth;

3. That I have strengths and weaknesses, just as do the three of you, and then also of course, the entirety of the

remainder of the human race. I just think that we should recognize and appreciate the strengths with which we

have been blessed, so that we all get to feel included, and in return for our offerings of strength -- the value of our

contributions in terms of self-worth.

Geoff -- you may not know this yet, but oftentimes due to this society's discrimination against the "seriously

mentally ill", we end up feeling as though we have little to no self-worth. That's why so many of us end up killing

ourselves. Well, that and extinguished hope for a better future. It's kind of a difficult concept to explain fully, but

Viktor Frankl does a real good job of it in his book "Man's Search for Meaning" about his experience as a

doctor/prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp if you're interested. It's an awful feeling-- and the only thing that

can help to overcome it, is finding some sense of life purpose, and some meaning to justify a reason to continue onliving, despite the endless suffering and seemingly infinite discrimination.

And, the thing is, this need that we "seriously mentally-ill" persons have to feel recognized and appreciated by

others-- where this society and its stigma left off, excluding us and alienating us apart from them --could actually

be honed into a great strength, if used to motivate one another by paying recognition and appreciation and giving

credit where credit has been earned. Then we could take these differences that stand between us, and create a

blessing straight out from underneath their curse.

4. And then lastly (and, I'm really sorry Geoffrey Collver, I know I go on and on...it's just the price that is paid for

having been a silent-observer too afraid of other people to assert any opinion of my own for 30 years--now that I've

started speaking out and standing up for myself, it's almost as if I just cannot stop...) -- but lastly, my final pointwas that opportunity is finite. And I think that's especially so, when it comes to getting other people to listen tosomething they really don't want to hear.

I did not say, nor did I imply (or, I think that was clear, but just in case...) that I am "the best" or that I am

"better than" anyone else. To the contrary, in addition to the above, I just meant to make the argument that if the

goal is to get others' attention, then no.1-- linking bullying & suicidal kids, to our lousy leadership & its exemplary

abuse of weaker humanity (i.e. US Rep Timothy Murphy/the mentally ill) would make a good case on both the state

and federal levels, and no.2, that if the goal is to capture others' attention for ongoing use and for our future'ssake--

A. I am very good at persuasion and have pretty solid communication skills (generally);

B. I have an extensive and immensely troubled "seriously mentally-ill" consumer history;

C. I have solid character bourn from my suffering, and in learning to overcome by taking the curse of suffering andcreating from it, a blessing (i.e. using the opportunity to gain life-wisdom);

D. I know all of the AOT arguments inside-and-out, I have read and understand the legislation posed, and I canargue against all of its facets; and then lastly, on top of that--

E. It has been said before, that I am attractive -- and it has been my experience that possessing such a feature tendsto get people to look once, and then again, to look twice.

AND THEREFOR, henceforth and hitherto-- argue for myself as a strong candidate to be a spokeswoman is what Imeant to do.

I went about it with the wrong tone and with a bad attitude though in that email that I'd sent to you three, and Iwant to apologize. I am very sorry for having approached it all wrong, and hope that I can still be considered apart of the "team". It's nice to get to be a part of something...

With exclusion having constituted the primary life-premise of my existence thus far, being included by you guys hasreally meant everything. I'm very sorry for my transgression. Please forgive me.

Sincerely,Marissa



Conversation with L.Valentine

Marissa Varcho <[email protected]> Fri, Jan 17, 2014 at 1:05 PMTo: Geoffrey Collver <[email protected]>Bcc: Marissa Varcho <[email protected]>

Hi Geoff,

I spoke with Lisa, she wasn't sure about the funding, how it was all split up and that sort of thing. She said she isrelatively new at OACBHA and that her bosses could help me more, but that they wouldn't be back in the office tillTuesday. That will be too late for next week's hearing though. So, I'll wait to see if I hear back from you today, andif not, just make my best educated guess as to what to do when I finish up writing this weekend.

I'm very sorry Geoff. I have a sharp tongue and I learned to use it as a defense-mechanism to protect myself frommy ex-husband's harm. So I haven't been practicing with it all that long, and really, I didn't even know that I hadit, officially, until I got out of the psych-ward and into the divorce in the fall of 2012. So, while it's what makes mea great advocate and while it's certainly better than using weapons and guns, it still gets me in trouble when I saythose things I'm not supposed to say out loud.

It's just difficult because my search for and commitment to truth is the only thing that keeps me straight amidst thisemotional storm. I cannot survive without it, which is why I refuse to separate myself from it. So, I guess that'swhy I am the unemployed, seriously mentally-ill one. I'm working very hard to learn to manage it better though.

I really am very sorry Geoff. I don't know what else to say, so I will just leave you alone.

Marissa


Tags

JANE SAYS ~ Let Us Rise Above

ON BEING MENTALLY ILL – Keep Gettin’ Myself

In TROUBLE, Again and Again and Again…

17 Friday Jan 2014

POSTED BY MARISSA K. VARCHO IN ON BEING MENTALLY "ILL", RECOVERY, TURNING THE CURSE AROUND..,VIDEO JOURNALS

≈ 4 COMMENTS

[]

Advocacy, Compassion, Culture, Health, Human Condition, Humanity, Mental health, mental illness,

People, Struggles, Truth, United States, Video

Hi guys,

said:

I got myself in trouble again, with a person that is helping me on the mental-health legislative-

advocacy work. I keep doing it and it really is very frustrating for me. I try’n help to explain whyin this video because I think it’s a very important process in the evolution of mental-health

recovery, and also because explaining things in these videos tends to force me to analyze what’s

going on around me, consciously. So that’s good…

It has to do with learning how to use the truth properly, to protect myself and to protect others

through advocacy. I’m kind of bummed about it, disappointed in my performance and that sort

of thing…

But, I’ll pick myself up here, up off of the ground, and keep working on learning how to manage

this mental-illness effectively…

Hope your day is going well ;0)

Marissa

Movie on 1-17-14 at 1.43 PM

thoughts on “ON BEING MENTALLY ILL – Keep Gettin’ Myself In

TROUBLE, Again and Again and Again…”

1. Eli

January 18, 2014 at 7:34 pm

said:

said:

said:

Also I wish you would explore this sharp tongue phenomena. Is it careless comments thatoffend others? Is it being contemptuous of others? Is it be critical of others? Is it demandingunrealistic expectation of others? Is it acting superior to others unconsciously?Eli

REPLY

[Edit Comment]

Marissa K. Varcho

January 18, 2014 at 10:58 pm

It’s saying the truth out loud when either 1) it is not “socially acceptable” to do so, and/or2) saying a truth out loud that I know is not ready yet to be heard or saying it in a “badattitude” kind of way. You know what I mean?

REPLY

[Edit Comment]

2. Eli

January 18, 2014 at 7:17 pm

Wow what self-awareness! This video is really self exploratory. You really put yourself in avulnerable position by acknowledging your style of relating. And yes marriage does tend tobring out our innermost conflicts in the open arena. You talk about the ‘sharp tongue’ whichgets you into trouble, wow great awareness! But I’m wondering if you can explore what youmean when you say “The only way to control it is by doing it,” I’m confused because doing itgets you into trouble so I would think that it needs to be worked through and adjusted.Thanks again for sharing.

REPLY

[Edit Comment]

Marissa K. Varcho

January 18, 2014 at 10:55 pm

The only way to LEARN to control it, I meant, is by doing (i.e. practicing using it,experimenting with it, etc.), that sort of thing. Does that make better sense of it? Thanks forthe feedback ;0?

REPLY

[Edit Comment]

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jane says .. chapter20

Documents

marissa varcho discussion

senate civil justice

marissa varcho ken jones

jack cameron jack cameron

dispatch reporter

pm subject

week sb

geoffrey collver fyi