My journey concerning mental illness began at the age of nineteen. Life has led me in many different directions. Drastic mood swings greatly affected my professions. My successes as a film and television actor have been clouded by my experience in the United States Army. A complete mental upheaval occurred during the insanity of basic training, from which there seemed to be no return. September 11, 2001, caused my unstable mind to collapse, very similar to the fractured Twin Towers as they splintered and fell. Suicide then became an alternative to life. Absolute self-destruction followed in a devastating manner. My life was forever altered in the brief second it took my heart to beat in one solitary, fateful moment. Patterns began to reveal themselves, regarding my own annihilation. I was an unwilling patient of my doctor's sound advice and prescribed medications throughout my adult years. My ever-increasing failure to swallow the truth, metaphorically and literally, devoured my mental health. The end result was nothing less than chaos. My mind and body became consumed by my inability to heal from within. Today, I have an insatiable thirst to regain the sanity of my blissful childhood. I have opened my hand to grasp firmly the possibilities of support systems. Mental stability is gaining momentum in my life. I did swallow my very necessary medications yesterday. The same willing process occurred again this morning. I hope to have the strength of will to consume the colorful pills tomorrow.