Mimi Baird: He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter’s Quest to Know Him

Excerpt

Take a moment to pause and engage in this mental imagery. You are an individual suffering from a mental illness, an intellectual disability or a significant physical impairment. Your functional abilities are often compromised and you must depend on others for all aspects of your daily life. Independence and choice are no longer yours because the rhythm of your life is now being determined by others. At times, the choices made for you cause pain, isolation, sadness, and despair. You desperately search for a glimmer of compassion in those around you. Why does no one hear your cries, address your pain, or understand this is not the life you would have chosen to live? In moments of silent lucidity, the words echoing in your mind are, “Doesn’t anyone truly see me?” …