Dear Supporters, A quick check in as I prepare to leave for Washington D.C. in the morning. I have been invited by The Hill publication to be on a panel on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. This will be my 4th trip to Washington D.C. to tell my family story and I will be thinking of the comments you all have shared on the petition. Here is link to the event: http://thehill.com/event/338169-the-state-of-mental-health-care-challenges-and-solutions. I hope some of you will join the conversation on Twitter and follow @TheHillEvents and use #StateofMH. I am traveling with one of my mentors, Rose King who is one of the co-authors of California's Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act. Rose and I formed a grass roots effort in 2010 called Mental Illness FACTS, Family and Consumer True Stories and later added a campaign called Right 2 Treatment. We believe that our loved one's stories are the guiding light to change that matters. True stories expose the tragedy of a discriminatory, unaccountable system, which lacks standards of care and invites undue political influence. Rose and I are committed to bringing about an equal right to treatment for serious mental illness. As family members, we know the punishing effects of inequity in health and care for our loved ones. We know many of you know the pain we share. We will carry your hearts in our hearts as we take the hill in Washington. Please comment on any action you believe is needed to win a right to treatment before tragedy. And, please keep sharing the petition and Shattering Silence about serious mental illness. With gratitude, Teresa