Colleen crashed into my orbit like a meteorite, writes Rev. Gordon Hunter in the opening sentence of his contribution to this book’s Foreword. Indeed, Colleen had that effect on most people she encountered, including her own parents and sister. Bright, articulate, and utterly charming at times, she could also be bewilderingly sinister, manipulative, and downright vindictive. Says her mother Fran, there is so much about the human brain that still remains to be understood. But if we are to help those like Colleen-possibly greater in number than our society yet realizes or is ready to admit-we must make it our quest to find out. Knowledge is the greatest battering ram we have against the social stigma surrounding mental illness that still prevails. Comprehending the medical realities that made Colleen who she was is the subject of this book as well as the road that may ultimately lead us to a cure. If increasing this comprehension sparks a drive toward that end, then Colleen’s all-too-short life will not have been lived in vain.
