Climbing life's staircase
By David C. Kaplan

Daniel Frey, managing editor of New York City Voices, took a big step on life’s staircase by graduating from Lehman College in the Bronx this June with a degree in English and as an honors student. Graduation is a triumph in any person’s life, but for Daniel it was especially impressive since he had come back from the depths of paranoid schizophrenia to do it.

For Daniel, graduation took on a meaning that he never would have suspected before college.

For Daniel, college "seemed to be the thing to do after high school." He had no plans and school did not seem important. When Daniel developed schizophrenia at the end of his junior year he had no idea that he was ill: "I thought I was a special person with a special gift who could experience things no one else could." Daniel’s strange behavior—such as walking very slowly with his head bent to the floor, the way he interacted with others as if a part of him were elsewhere, his self-imposed isolation and the things he said about people wanting to hurt him—made his father, Jacob, decide to rush him to the hospital.

During his son’s hospitalization, Jacob saw, Four Stories, on a local NBC news program. One of these stories was about Ken Steele, founder of New York City Voices. Jacob was so impressed by Ken’s recovery from schizophrenia that he contacted him, and showed a video of the program to Daniel in the hospital. Daniel, who was also impressed, remembers thinking: "Here was a man who has what I have and look how much he is doing." Ken called Daniel in the hospital and spoke to him. At that point, Daniel truly confronted his illness for the first time. Daniel was stabilized on medication and began the process of recovery.

Daniel left the hospital and started working with Ken on New York City Voices, and soon became the paper’s managing editor, where he collects articles on mental health from many sources, decides which ones to publish and makes sure they all fit into the available space. Daniel also writes for the paper, and accompanies Ken on joint speaking engagements where they discuss mental illness before professionals, consumers and family members.

By successfully doing this demanding work, Daniel had clearly demonstrated that he had transcended his illness, but he had new plans in mind. After having lost a year due to his illness, Daniel decided to return to Lehman College and finish his degree. He felt like his life was in limbo when he was sick, and that "it was now time to resume normal life." Unlike before, college had an importance in his life. Daniel was a bit uncomfortable at first because he thought the other students knew about his illness, but he felt a lot better after he got into the routine of studying.

A friend who came to see Danny graduate says he knows about Daniel’s illness, but never thinks about it. He says, "Daniel is pretty cool, a nice guy. Most people are not as open-minded and understanding as he is." His capacity for caring about people must have come in part from his father, Jacob, who has been a strong support throughout his son’s illness.

Jacob noticed how much better Daniel became after he started working at New York City Voices, remarking that "Daniel’s work with (the paper) proved that he was getting better." Jacob thought Daniel’s return to Lehman was a great idea. "I am very proud of my son. I had hoped the graduation would occur but realized it might not. But Daniel had a lot of stamina to go back to school and finish his education. It shows he is fighting his illness." Jacob sees a bright future for Daniel "if he continues taking his medication and working at New York City Voices."

Daniel is also happy to graduate: "The burden of achieving my first degree has been lifted from my back," he said, adding "I don’t look into the future. I merely take one day at a time."

The days are bright for Daniel. His graduation is a symbol of hope for all of us.