To the editor:

And so it came to be. I created a son, and that son developed into a person, but a young person with paranoid schizophrenia. And as he suffered, we suffered. And as our family traversed the unknown and unmarked trail of personal coping, fear, anxiety, anger, depression, we were bounced along by the institutional realities of the health care system. Where and to whom do you turn?

It is a horrible and common occurrence, more than you know. And while the illness can’t be stopped, it can be dealt with and treated, the sooner the better. For minor and major downhill spirals, a crisis center is a lifesaver.

Lawrence is a community of families, and many of our families need that help. We need a crisis center and have for decades. While doing other things well, Lawrence Memorial Hospital has, year after year, held out hope that it would take the reins and lead our community to create such a facility, and nothing has come of it. And the need grows. Now we are asked to vote yes for a jail expansion and a crisis center. How can we possibly say no? Only I think we have to. The crisis center vote is married to the jail vote by design. The jail vote alone is more likely to fail, so the crisis center is the deal sweetener. And the voter is being held hostage to it. The crisis center deserves to stand alone for a vote and deserves to win. And at a pittance of the cost. So when you see a yard sign pleading for a “No” vote, imagine a second sign that says, “Ask me why!” Please. The crisis is now.