When the Brakes Fail is a riveting memoir with a heartfelt purpose: to illuminate the experience of bipolar illness while helping its victims and their families discover a path forward.
About The Book
A Riveting Memoir
Book
“From the sociable 4-year-old visiting with customers at her mom’s Big Orange in Bradley, to the outgoing 13-year-old fashionista, to the 17-year-old PRHS straight-A student and varsity cheerleader, Cindy’s always been an achiever. To learn of her battle with mental illness was shocking. She kept her story close for decades. Until now.”
Paula Elsey, Book Editor
WHEN THE BRAKES FAIL
A Memoir by Cindy Wittstrom
Cindy knew something was wrong, very wrong. She could not fathom where to find help. Assuming this inner chaos was a medical issue, she reached out to her physician. His advice was practically worthless, if not counterproductive.
A last resort: her small-town general practitioner. Because she recently gave birth, he diagnosed her malady immediately—postpartum depression. He likened her condition to that of a runaway freight train, headed for parts unknown, moving at breakneck speed.
Twenty years later this same train, her enemy, resurfaced in the guise of bipolar illness and she knew she wanted no part of it. Her allies encircle her. She is not alone. Together they must carve the unforeseen path and it will not be easy.
When the Brakes Fail tells Cindy’s unpredictable story which, for the most part, is misunderstood. Walk the tracks with her and discover her journey.