Mental Health Awareness Month: Help from “Three Moms”
May 26, 2026
My story begins in Chicago.
I pondered what to say in my blog for this important month-- Mental Health Awareness month.
We can, and should, talk about mental health. In the not-too-distant past, this subject was not discussed openly. We have come a long way since I grew up with a mother who valiantly fought through bouts of depression. She, thankfully, had the support of my dad and she accomplished much—raising four children, for one thing! We didn’t talk about such things then. Now, we understand mental illness is an illness—that can be treated! We know the importance of talking about our mental health.
I decided to highlight a podcast. Here is how this story begins.
Rebecca and I were invited to be part of a panel discussion at the annual conference for National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. The documentary, “Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery,” was to be one of the films shown.” Rebecca was one of three people with schizophrenia featured in this film. The panel discussion was to follow the film.
Prior to the trip, I read extensively about the people who would be presenting and one of them was Randye Kaye, who was invited to share her experience and introduce her book. I hoped we would have the opportunity to meet her. Rebecca and I realized how fortunate we were to be a part of this conference and to learn from the presenters. Just for the record, I made an entire notebook in preparation for this amazing opportunity.
On April 16, 2012, from 10:00 to 11:30 am at the Hilton Chicago, the screening of the short film took place.
One of the first comments came from a lady in the audience. You guessed it! She identified herself as Randye Kaye.
Fast forward to 2021 and in our continued communication with Randye we learned that she was beginning a podcast, “Schizophrenia: Three Moms in the Trenches.” She and two other women would share their stories and interview others. The three women, who had never met in person, had something in common—they had written books about their adult sons and their diagnosis of schizophrenia. As Randye shares at the beginning of each podcast—they represent the “East Coast, West Coast, and Middle America.” The first podcast was 1/13/2021.
Randye Kaye, from the East Coast, actress, broadcaster, and advocate, has written “Ben Behind his Voices.”
Mindy Greiling, from Middle America, was a member of the Minnesota House of Representative for 20 years, and wrote “Fix What You Can.”
Miriam Feldman, from the West Coast, is an artist, and wrote “He Came In With It.”
Look for “Schizophrenia: Three Moms in the Trenches” on YouTube or where you find podcasts. These ladies touch on many interesting and helpful topics. To quote Randye: “We say it like it is, in this podcast, to help families, practitioners, and those with SMI (serious mental illness) feel less alone . . . and learn.”
I found this bookmark a few days ago and asked Randye for permission to share it. She said, yes, to feel free and she answered my question that it was original to her. I wholeheartedly concur with this list!
On Saturday night, I attended a concert at Washburn University White Concert Hall by the Shawnee Choral Society. The night was captioned: “A Night on Broadway.” The final song was from a Broadway musical, “Dear Evan Hansen,” which tells the story of a teenager struggling with severe anxiety and loneliness. This is a Tony Award-winning musical. The song is entitled: “You Will Be Found,” and encourages the idea that we are not alone and it’s important to reach out. What a great song the Shawnee Choral Society concluded with! To my mind it was a commemoration of Mental Health Awareness Month.