Mark didn’t ask to be the poster boy for mental illness…not at all. And the plan was for him to tell his story…not me, his family, or his friends. Before taking his life, however, he asked to “keep it going”.
I remember being on the phone with him when he was in the St Peter Psychiatric Hospital. A woman was screaming so loudly in the background, I could barely hear Mark. I smiled through tears when I heard, “She’s having a rough day, Jean. I feel sorry for her.” He was thinking of others in spite of his own pain.
The more Mark learned about the many affected by mental trauma, the more vested he became in this cause.
After a lot of work, the building is now finished! We’ve joined forces with the existing resources at The Nest, as well as our Force for Good partners in Minneapolis. Our goal is to push research, education, and public awareness while offering a haven for healing. That’s the plan…in Mark’s loving memory.
~ Jean Pavelich Gevik