What Happened

I know I've been vague about my whereabouts and activities for the past couple months, but that's only because I was still in the middle of it and needed some distance and a chance to catch my breath before telling this story.

Disclaimer: I'm not telling this story for attention or pity. I'm telling it because I need to. I need to get it out. I'm doing this for me, for her, and for anyone who reads this that might benefit from it.

Here goes:

My ex-wife and best friend, who has MS, came to stay with me for a while when the MS caused her to start having trouble with her job, at first to watch my apartment when I made my trip to New York in March, but also to visit and crash until her housing situation worked itself out. She told me she was moving in with her sister in Michigan once her tax refund check arrived (which was delayed because of that whole H&R Block fiasco (those of you who experienced it know what I'm talking about)). After a long delay, it finally came and she left, assuring me she was going to be okay living with family.

A few days later, I get a phone call, telling me that she was at U of M Hospital recovering after a failed suicide attempt.

Needless to say, I was devastated, but grateful she was alive.

After recovering in the psych ward for a few weeks, I picked her up and we stayed at a hotel for the weekend. She set up some meetings to get an apartment in Ann Arbor, and meanwhile stayed with me for another week until she secured a little basement apartment. I then helped her with moving (some of) her things from Tennessee up to Michigan. She gave me her futon and king-size bed rather than leave them there to be tossed. So, yeah, I have a futon and a king-size bed if anyone wants to come over.

She's getting lots of help from state and local resources (Apparently, Michigan's good for that) and she qualified for disability through her job because of her MS and depression, and has applied for federal disability, not to mention getting local Medicaid for her medicine and therapy. So she's going to be okay, I think.

So, there you go. That's what's been foremost in my thoughts and actions for the past couple months. Any support you can give her right now would be appreciated (thoughts, prayers, positive energy, whatever you can give). I've tried to convince her to start a Tumblr so that she has an outlet and meet some of the amazing people I've met on there. If/when she does, I'll post a link so you can introduce yourself.

Anyway, thank you for reading this far, and I hope you understand now.