Mental Illness, Tragedy and Transformation: The Mark Becker Story

Joan & David Becker

Tuesday, 25 Sep 2018 at 7:00 pm – Great Hall, Memorial Union

The Story County Mental Health Resource Fair will precede the lecture, 6:00-7:00pm in the South Ballroom.

Joan and Dave Becker share their family’s story about their son Mark and the experience they had coping with his paranoid schizophrenia. They hope it will help other families, caregivers, and professionals understand how they can make a difference in moving forward and improving our mental health system. The Beckers spent years visiting doctors, pleading with state mental health services, and trying to get their son help for what was finally diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia just three days before the unthinkable happened in their rural community of Parkersburg. National Recovery Awareness Month – Story County Mental Health Expo

Representatives from ISU Police Department and Student Health and Wellness will be available to share information on campus resources during the closing Q&A discussion.
Joan Becker’s book, Sentenced to Life, shares how their personal family experience served as the catalyst for her to become an advocate and public speaker for individuals with mental illness.

Cosponsored By:
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) On Campus
  • Story County Mental Health Expo
  • Student Counseling Service
  • Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)