Gessie
Hi, my name is Gessie! I am 23 years old, from Long Island, New York. My story with mental health conditions began over a decade ago. I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of seven and was prescribed medication. At the age of 17, I was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I have had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for as long as I can remember, but I was not aware of it or even knew what it was until I was in 4th grade. I am also on the Autism Spectrum.
At the age of 11, I began pulling out my hair. I soon found out that this was called trichotillomania (trich), a compulsive disorder classified as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB). When I was 15, I also started pulling out my eyebrows. Due to the hair loss that resulted from repeated pulling, I felt a great deal of shame at first. But, slowly, over time, I have learned to overcome that shame and love myself unconditionally, no matter what my hair looks like. I truly believe that I would not be able to love and accept myself as much as I do now, had I not had trich. I have gone through everything from wearing wigs and hairpieces, to short pixie cuts, to even shaving my head completely bald. These days, my natural curls have grown back, and though I still have no eyebrows, I am as confident as ever. I consider myself to be in recovery, even though I still pull my hair and still deal with the day to day woes of mental illness. I believe that recovery is a journey, not a destination, and that true recovery is simply choosing to keep going each day despite all my struggles.
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." ~Psalms 118:24
I have become very passionate about advocating for mental health and BFRBs and want to help as many people as I can. Although life with mental illness isn't easy, I am thankful, in a way, for having these disorders, because they've helped me find my voice and have given me a platform to help others.
"In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33
At the age of 11, I began pulling out my hair. I soon found out that this was called trichotillomania (trich), a compulsive disorder classified as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB). When I was 15, I also started pulling out my eyebrows. Due to the hair loss that resulted from repeated pulling, I felt a great deal of shame at first. But, slowly, over time, I have learned to overcome that shame and love myself unconditionally, no matter what my hair looks like. I truly believe that I would not be able to love and accept myself as much as I do now, had I not had trich. I have gone through everything from wearing wigs and hairpieces, to short pixie cuts, to even shaving my head completely bald. These days, my natural curls have grown back, and though I still have no eyebrows, I am as confident as ever. I consider myself to be in recovery, even though I still pull my hair and still deal with the day to day woes of mental illness. I believe that recovery is a journey, not a destination, and that true recovery is simply choosing to keep going each day despite all my struggles.
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." ~Psalms 118:24
I have become very passionate about advocating for mental health and BFRBs and want to help as many people as I can. Although life with mental illness isn't easy, I am thankful, in a way, for having these disorders, because they've helped me find my voice and have given me a platform to help others.
"In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world." ~John 16:33
Montauk, New York
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Here are some facts about me: I am a daughter, a granddaughter, a friend, a sister with two older sisters and a younger brother, and an aunt to a seven year old nephew. I have three dogs; a 5 year old goofy lovable terrier mutt, Savage, a little spunky 3 year old Shih Tzu-Poodle, Cee Cee (she has no eyes and is completely blind), and my baby Chinese Crested aptly named Princess. My precious blind Shih Tzu Teenie crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in March 2019 and my little diva Westie mix Lady in October 2020. We rescued Lady at a time when I was really suffering with my mental health. She honestly rescued me. Losing her was one of the hardest things I have ever endured.
Savage, Princess, CeeCee
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Lady and Teenie, forever in my heart
My passion in life is working with children. Currently I work as a respite caregiver for a 13 year old girl with developmental disabilities. I volunteered for a year at my parish's school as an aide in nursery and Pre-K classes, from 2017-2018. For the six years, I taught religious education classes for first graders at my church. I feel at home in my parish and love the community. I enjoy baking, and my specialties are banana bread and apple cake. I LOVE to travel, even by myself, and I have taken several solo trips. It's always fun exploring new places and I feel a sense of freedom and independence. My favorite trips I've taken were to California, Toronto Canada, and Miami Beach. My happy place is at the beach and I revel in the sunshine. Summer is my favorite season and I wish I lived somewhere with more months of warm weather. I have a knack for writing, and combine my two passions of writing and mental health advocacy by writing articles about my experience with mental illness and trichotillomania. I have contributed to a few different online media outlets, including to the Huffington Post twice. I hope my writing will let others know they aren't alone, and inspire them to love their true selves. I would like to one day write a book about my life with trichotillomania. My favorite food is pizza, favorite dessert is apple crumb pie, and I appreciate a good vanilla chai latte. My favorite TV shows are Stranger Things, Unsolved Mysteries, and game shows. Some of my favorite music artists are Taylor Swift, Lorde, Bleachers, and The Strokes, all of whom I have seen in concert. I am interested in cryptozoology, aliens, UFOs, and "weird" stuff like that. I consider myself a huge fan of Mothman, a cryptid originating in West Virginia. Turtles have always been my favorite animal and an obsession, and I have two pet turtles, 19 year old Frankenstein, and 10 year old Harriet. Other obsessions include the color pink and Vera Bradley. I have a good eye for style and love dressing up. Right now, I am navigating my early 20s, slowly working on learning to do more things for myself, and expanding my horizons traveling to new places. My ultimate goal in life is to simply be happy and to have a lasting impact on others. I really believe I can change the world, and that is what I intend to do. I'm just getting started!
