The P.A.M. Alliance has spent the month of August raising awareness and money for our fledgling nonprofit organization focused on progress and action on mental health. The response has been powerful. As we wrap up the month, we’re also wishing a happy birthday to the late Pam (Willborn) Colson, the woman behind the namesake and whose story powers our mission, priorities and goals.
When I was growing up here in Blanchardville, my childhood experience was, for the most part, very “normal.” At the same time, that normal day-to-day life was unique in that Mom lived with bipolar disorder, a mental health condition defined by large swings or shifts in one’s mood and energy. She took her medication, went to her psychiatrist and largely lived a healthy life at face value – that is, until, changes in her medication, a mental health emergency and a colon cancer diagnosis changed the course of her journey, and ours, forever.
Our family quickly learned a lot about how the mental health and health care “systems” in this country work together – or, how they do not work well together. We learned that past decisions about forgoing blood tests due to cost and her desire to fund her children’s higher education impacted her physical health more than she realized. I learned much later that what we had largely endured in silence is much more accepted by our friends and neighbors than we knew.
Now, we are here, just short of nine years since her death and during the week she would have turned 68 years old. It is, without question, the honor of my life to found and propel The P.A.M. Alliance forward – for our community, our state and for Mom.
When you hear “P.A.M.”, remember it is purposefully twofold. It most certainly is a tribute to her life and legacy, and it is symbolic of how a deeply personal story can be a change agent in the mental health care space. We want more collaboration, more action, more resources, more conversations, and, most importantly, more people advocating for a world where everyone lives full, healthy and dignified lives. Reach out to learn more about our work and ways you can become a P.A.M. Champion. We want to work together.
Cassie Colson Perenchio Founder and Executive Director, The P.A.M. Alliance Blanchardville