She speaks publicly about an illness which effects her and millions of other people. Alice Thiemann of Davenport was diagnosed with bipolar illness when she was thirty nine years old.
These days, Alice is a spokeswoman for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She educates people about the stigmas attached to mental disorders, especially bipolar. Bipolar is a brain disorder which causes major changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. She thinks that sometimes if you mention the phrase mental illness, people run the other way.
Photography is one of her hobbies. She says taking pictures of nature has helped her to cope. She also loves to write, especially non fiction.
As a young woman, Alice was an excellent student. She graduated from Lost Nation High School in 1962. She married, has two children, and at one time was a softball player and umpire.
Coping with mental illness, she believes, is a journey. A sense of humor helps. She encourages other people with mental illness to hang in there and not give up.
Next month, she will walk with hundreds of others in the Greater Mississippi Valley NAMI Walk, raising money for support, education and advocacy. Her dream is that someday soon, there will be a cure for mental illness.
KWQC is a proud sponsor of the NAMI Walk in Davenport, scheduled for October 6th.
