Hello! My name is Cheryl Foote, I am 44 years young, and live in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. I am the mother of 3 wonderful children, the youngest is still at home with me. I have been a single Mom for most of my life, which has given me experiences that I might not otherwise have had.
I was trained in the late 70s as a Licensed Practical Nurse, and worked in that profession for a few years, following my graduation, in Canada's beautiful Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, family obligations and parenting interfered with mandatory shift work, and I had to quit nursing for a few years. By the time I was ready to return to work, I had to take a refresher course in order to be licensed again. At that time there were no programs available in the "North" so I had to give up my life long dream of nursing.
I am a firm believer that everything happens in our lives for a reason, and in my life this holds especially true. I came across a new interest when I began having bouts of Depression in my second marriage. At this time I started attending Al-Anon, and began therapy. I started diving into self-help books and psychology texts, in an attempt to find out more about myself and a reason for my increasing sense of emptiness. I became fascinated with psychology, the cause and affect of experiences in our lives both, negative and positive and recovery in general.
Then in the 90s came the Internet! Well this was the best thing since microwave ovens, because I could now research using numerous search engines, which allowed me to gather more and more information. At this time I also began learning web design. I created a number of personal interest sites, and then finally my first public interest site, Beyond the Blues. BTB as I called it was mainly directed at women suffering from mental illness. I developed user groups using ICQ, and little by little Beyond the Blues because a very busy site. This is when I also realized how much I enjoyed writing.
Then, in 1997 I was myself admitted to the hospital, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and Major Depression. In 1999 I was once again admitted, but now living in Manitoba, was given a full psychiatric assessment. To my surprise, my diagnosis was changed, the primary diagnosis being chronic post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder, along with Borderline Personality traits, and severe depression with anxiety. Luckily for me, I had done so much research that although I felt somewhat like a broken toy, I knew what to do along with help from my Psychiatrist and Therapist.
I like to have fun on the Internet, so I play canasta at Yahoo. In one day I met 5 other women with PTSD while playing cards. I had taken down Beyond the Blues but had been building a new site, called Shattered No More. The main focus is PTSD in women, because there was and still is so little on the Internet for women about PTSD as it relates to them, putting aside the more common causes. I find myself frustrated with each woman I speak to at how they have been diagnosed, or what they have had to go through to have developed PTSD. I started an online community at Yahoo and within 2 months the Women's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Discussion Group grew to 30 members!
I am unable to work outside the home, so I spend much of my day working on the website, researching articles and books for information which can help the members and other women who visit the site. I also assist a large network of members using email lists, a chat room, message boards, and chatting with the members. Of course I still play Canasta for fun.
My other interests include Music, Cooking, Knitting, and lots of other crafts. I am entering a wonderful stage of life now, and am beginning to feel comfortable with who I am becoming, and although much of my social life is online, I feel that the relationships I have made with other women online have enriched my life so much.
One day as I was searching for material, I came across Suite101, and joined. I found the section on Women's Mental Health, and wrote a letter to the Editor of that section to find out if my site could be considered for inclusion on her list of links. Her reply was very fast, and she suggested I apply to be an editor as well.
So, as I said earlier, things happen in this life for a reason, I never dreamed I would be able to reach so many women about a subject that is still very limited on the internet - Women with PTSD. Most people would be surprised at the number of causes there can be and how much can be done to relieve the symptoms, and yes, even recover.
I love to research and write, and look forward to working with Suite101.