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SATURDAY APRIL 8 | SUNDAY APRIL 9 2017
SUNDAY BREAKFAST Yao to be honored at “Future of Medicine is YOU” benefit. P18
NO. 92 | A JWC MEDIA PUBLICATION
NEWS
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hat if you could unlock the secrets in your teenager’s bedroom and other areas around the house? Some warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse might possibly be “Hidden in Plain Sight.” Andy Duran, executive director of LEAD (Leading Efforts Against Drugs) in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, will present a tour in Deerfield of a mock teenage bedroom containing more than 100 items that may be indicative of these risky behaviors. “Most parents have an alarm bell go off when they feel like something’s not quite right,” said Barbara de Nekker, executive director of Community - The Anti-Drug (CTAD). “Andy will give some practical tips about how to handle things around the house if you see them, which will help parents feel more validated Continued on PG 8
illness and recovery
BY STEVE HANDWERKER DAILYNORTHSHORE.COM
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Caitlin Schneider of the Glenbrook girls hockey team earns Athlete of the Month honors. P16
SOCIAL SCENE
The Chicago Cultural Center hosted a fundraiser for the ALS Association. P11 FOLLOW US:
The run of her life
Weeding out danger U.S. Olympian signs in teen shares journey of mental bedrooms BY JULIE KEMP PICK DAILYNORTHSHORE.COM
Glenview | Northbrook
SPORTS
hree-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton had it all: World-class running talent, a loving husband and daughter, and careers in real estate and public speaking. She also suffered from bipolar disorder, though it was undiagnosed for much of her life. Now 48, self aware and managing her illness, she will share her story at the Heroes of Mental Health Gala benefiting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Cook County North Suburban affiliate on April 22 at the Glen View Club. Plagued with undiagnosed mental illness since childhood, Favor Hamilton struggled with family relationships, inability to focus, anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies and attempts. For much of her life, her “family pretended to be normal, I kept it all in, and those around me ignored the warning signs and family history,” she said. “I believe running saved my life. It was my coping mechanism going way back to childhood,” she said, noting it calmed her and allowed her to focus. In addition to three Olympic Games she was a nine-time NCAA champion, three-time U.S. record holder, and seven-time national champion. Despite running, her seams
eventually burst. Favor Hamilton said she intentionally fell and ruined — and not for the first time — a major race, the 1,500meter final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was diagnosed with sports performance anxiety, but given no treatment. In 2005, married to an “amazing, laid back and as-patient-as-they-come” husband and with a baby daughter, she again had it all — undiagnosed mental illness included. She fell back into strained relationships, anxiety, malaise, depression, and suicidal tendencies, but thoughts of her daughter pulled her to safety. “I was first misdiagnosed with postpartum depression shortly after the birth of my daughter,” she said. She was prescribed antidepressant medication but the side effects were awful. Favor Hamilton stopped taking them and regressed. She said a new antidepressant around the time of Suzy and Mark’s 20th wedding anniversary in 2011 managed her depression and anxiety but side effects included reckless behavior and sexual deviance, which led to her becoming one of Las Vegas’ top escorts in 2012. “The antidepressant made me feel wonderful, but it triggered my mania like never before, and my behaviors changed dramatically,” she said. When a customer outed her, the story went public, leaving her marriage splayed like her body on the Sydney track. Hamilton barely stuck the marriage out. Favor Hamilton took her mental health more seriously than ever, knowing she had to focus on getting treatment to maintain relations with her family and husband.
Suzy Favor Hamilton
“After being outed, I sought treatment, somewhat reluctantly since I did not feel anything was truly wrong with me,” she said. “From that time on, feeling good and gaining control did not happen immediately. That’s not how this works. Recovery took many months.” In 2013, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and received
the proper medication, which has helped her recover and heal. In 2015, she wrote what became a New York Times best seller, Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness (2015, Dey Street Books). “When I’m struggling, I tend to be more aware these days and know how to act accordingly. I always know it will pass,” she said.
Favor Hamilton said that since she received the proper diagnosis, NAMI has been an important resource for information. “They do a wonderful job on the education and awareness end of things,” she said. The organization focuses on improving the lives of individuals with Continued on PG 8
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