Hello, my name is Mary Husowech and I have a mental illness.

I wanted to start with something humorous because my mental illness can be funny sometimes.

I have conversations with myself. Hey, if I can’t laugh at myself, who can I laugh at?

I was misdiagnosed for 13 years. I’m sure you can imagine how frustrating it was to be around people that don’t understand you.

So my passion is to educate people about mental illness to take the fear out of it.

In the summer of 1986 I was hospitalized for the first time.

When I returned home I was stable but because of my illness I became isolated and was very alone.

I didn’t have friends and I began to wish I wasn’t alive.

Shortly after my parents moved to Lancaster, PA, my mother died and in 1991 I moved there to be with my dad.

It was Amish farm country, mental health services were really lacking and again I had no friends. I felt so isolated and alone and my illness got progressively worse.

Finally, I found a doctor that correctly diagnosed me.

In 1999, my sister who lives in this area helped me to get on a waiting list for housing in Wall Township even though I was still living in PA.

Housing took 5 years to become available and in 2004 I moved here to live near my sister, her husband, niece and nephew.

It’s really synchronistic the way I found Community Connections and then Shore House.

When I got here, my caseworker referred me to Community Connections because her husband worked there.

Community Connections is a partial care mental health program through Monmouth Medical Center. I was at Community Connections for 8 years, graduating in 2012.

My psychiatrist and I had been talking about what I would do when I graduated from Community Connections. He suggested I might like Shore House.

He knew that I was ready to fly on my own and leave partial care. He also knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea to be alone – on my own. Just like the synchronicity of finding Community Connections, the same thing happened in finding Shore House. It felt like it was meant to be.

At Shore House my favorite part of the day is mealtime. Whether I’m one of the members preparing the meal or just gathering at a big table eating it – everyone together. We talk and share like a big happy family. For me that’s when my worries disappear. It’s my home away from home.

Shore House brings me to a very spiritual place in my life – it gives me empowerment, confidence, something to feel passionate about. I have dreams and I know now, I can move toward them.

With the support of Shore House to back me up, I want to realize my dreams. One day, I will be an artist Shore House is my Community and everyone should know what a Clubhouse can do for a person.

It’s a positive environment and a place to grow to find your own purpose.

That’s what Shore House has done for me.

Thank you for letting me share my story with you.