Each year, millions of Americans struggle with their mental health. And this May, which marks Mental Health Awareness Month, the Montgomery County chapter of a national support group is hosting a weekend walk to support those families.<\/p>\n
“These are my two kids,” Neem Davis of Towamencin Township said, smiling, as she looked over family photos in a coffee shop in Lansdale.<\/p>\n
“So, this is Ben,” she said and pointed to her 44-year-old son in a picture.<\/p>\n
Neem recalled more than 20 years ago, when she and her late husband Dave received news of their son’s life-changing diagnosis.<\/p>\n
“Ben was first diagnosed in his early 20s,” she said. “He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.”<\/p>\n
Ben is one of the one in five Americans who have a mental-health episode each year, according to NAMI, which offers support for those living with mental illness and their families. The Davises scoured the internet for direction.<\/p>\n
“Who could help us?” Neem asked. “Well, NAMI \u2014\u00a0The National Alliance on Mental Illness<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 kept coming up.”<\/p>\n At first, Neem reached out to the organization for help \u2014 but soon after, she got involved, too. She started helping others by serving on the board and eventually launching the group’s Benefit for the Brain fundraiser.\u00a0<\/p>\n Neem’s work inspires NAMI Montgomery County Executive Director Christine Stutman.<\/p>\n “Oh, this place would not be where we are,” Stutman said. “Neem has been on our board for a couple of decades, now. And she has done so much to move us forward.”<\/p>\n That is why Stutman looks forward to seeing Neem at the annual NAMI Walks Montgomery County event<\/a>, set for Saturday, May 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n As of Wednesday, May 13, the walk had already raised over $100,000 for NAMI’s free mental health programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n That’s not all \u2014 Neem said she wanted anyone needing help to know this one thing: “They are not alone.”<\/p>\n The NAMI Walks Montgomery County event is Saturday, May 16, at 9 a.m. on Temple University’s Ambler Campus. You can register for the walk or donate at this webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n