BITTERSWEET - Tecno-Libro

Although Joe struggled, he did the best he could to play the hand that life dealt to him. He was a poor, black, and uneducated man with a host of mental health issues that prevented him from being the supportive father and spouse that he wanted to be. As he aged his illnesses grew worse as well as his relationship with his family who loved him dearly. Unfortunately Joe became a ward of the state and eventually died alone in a skilled nursing facility. Bittersweet is a story about the effects of mental health that involve not only the individual but his family members who unfortunately became entangled in the tentacles of circumstance. in attempt to endure Joe s illness the family used a combination of patience, suffering, humor, and tears to create somewhat of a mental raft to guide them through what felt like very deep and treacherous waves. Bittersweet not only paints a vivid picture of mental illness but most important, unveils the many hidden layers and breaks the silence so that help can be obtaine