📕 Closer to Paradise: A Mother's Journey through Crisis and Healing tells the story of how my teenaged son nosedived into a suicidal crisis and how I became a Caregiver overnight. My initial attempts to partner with my son's treatment team were met with blaming and shaming, complicating the already difficult task of keeping my son alive; learning the hard way how to navigate the complex maze of the behavioral health care system. During this situation, I learned how to not only survive but also to thrive, even as what happened broke me wide open. In the end, I found healing as a result of these painful and terrifying experiences, even as my world was crashing down around me.