The manuscript is complete and headed for publication.
Tentative publication,
Late Fall, 2023.
FiNDing Hope, the first mental-health memoir about (FND) or Functional Neurologic Disorder
*** written by Jocelyn Bystrom, after I was diagnosed February 18th, 2021, and boldly proclaimed on social media:
"I struggle with my mental health."
FiNDing Hope has taken over a year to write. Now, with excitement I'm prepared for publication. I learned to love myself in the writing, prioritize my health & well-being, and journeyed to well-being. It's a life-long journey. There’s no cure for FND!
I wrote, and I write to breathe life into mental health conversations and to reduce stigma around mental illness.
If one individual reads my book, and doesn’t have to struggle in silence, as I did, then the writing, endless revisions, and seemingly never-ending edits will have been worth the effort.
I can't wait to share my story with the #FNDAware community.
@jbystromwriter @FNDingHope_jbystromwriter FNDingHope.com
I strive to juggle and balance healthy boundaries daily, and I'm grateful to be able to drive again after I experienced debilitating daily seizures. With gratitude and a growth mindset I've returned to work as an educational leader, counsellor, teacher, mental health, and FND advocate.
FiNDing Hope, is my story of a seven-year, complex physical health journey, only to learn I had an unexpected, little known, mental health diagnosis called: FND!
But, "What the heck was: FND?"
Look forward to reading your memoir. I'm sure there will be some things that I will learn about myself from reading your journey.