Just thought I’d drop by and give my followers an update on my life and what’s been going on with me. I’ve been praying for revelation on my purpose and how I can contribute to the world. I know that one of my purposes is to be a good caretaker for my special needs daughter, as well as a good wife and mother to my family.
However, I get the feeling there is more in store for me. Maybe I haven’t discovered it, or God will reveal it in his perfect timing. I would love to finish my memoir. But, because of my memory loss issues I’m having problems remembering my past years and the alot of the details of my mental health challenges. It feels like a jumbled jigsaw puzzle. Frustrating to say the least…
But, in the meantime I do alot of adult coloring and reading. My Bible and prayer journal are still very much a part of my life. But, it can be triggering if I take in too much information. So it’s just one day at a time for me.
I pray that all is well with you as we enter the final quarter of 2025 and that you are blessed beyond measure 🙌
A 28-year-old man in the Netherlands has opted to end his life with euthanasia rather than continue living with mental illness.
Joseph Awuah-Darko, a British-Ghanaian artist, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has documented his decades-long battle with mental health on social media. After failed treatments and no relief, he announced in an emotional Instagram video that he’s decided to end his life. He is waiting for approval, which could take up to four years.
“Hi,” he said in the video, posted in December. “I’m Joseph, I am bipolar and I moved to the Netherlands to legally end my life.”
Bipolar disorder is a manic-depressive illness of the brain that causes extreme changes in mood and energy levels, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. There are four basic types of the disorder, which are characterized by periods of elation and hyper-activity known as manic episodes, which are then followed by depressive stages where the patient experiences feelings of sadness and depression.
Patients will often experience intense emotions as well as disruption to sleep patterns and their ability to think clearly. These periods can last for an extended time — days or even weeks — with no clear way of predicting when one period will end and another will begin. This can cause patients to have difficulty at work, school or maintaining their relationships.
In the Instagram video, Awuah-Darko said he wakes up every day in “severe pain,” which led him to opt for a medically assisted death. He spent five years contemplating the decision before filing an official request with the Euthanasia Expert Centre in the Netherlands.
“I am not saying that life (as a phenomenon) isn’t worth living. It ABSOLUTELY is. What I am saying is that the mental weight of MINE has become entirely unbearable. 💔,” he wrote in the caption. “I am NOT special, like many people in their 20s; the constant burnout, the burden of debt, paralysing depression, violent media cycle and the dystopian reality of AI …all weigh heavy. The reality I face of being bipolar exacerbates all this.”
Now more than ever, the possibility of being humanely put to rest with dignity matters,” he added. “I’m ready to go home.❤️”
With its passing, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to make euthanasia legal, per BBC News. The country’s official government website states that the procedure is performed by a physician who administers “a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient on his or her express request.”
“There is a dignity attached to doing it this way, with as much closure, patience and understanding in knowing that you will not have to be discovered lifeless by somebody else, not a train conductor, not your sibling, not your friends,” Awuah-Darko told the U.K. newspaper The Times. “You will have a non-violent end to your life with medical assistance, with support, with closure for those who love you.”
After sharing his story publicly, Awuah-Darko received responses with mixed emotions — those who respected his decision, those with pleas to change his mind and those who claimed he was “glorifying” suicide.
Additionally, he received more than 100 messages from strangers inviting him to have dinner with them. It quickly inspired him to launch a worldwide dinner tour, calling it “The Last Supper Project.” He plans on traveling and having a number of meals with strangers while he waits for approval on his request for euthanasia on grounds of mental suffering.
So far, Awuah-Darko has traveled to Paris, Milan, Brussels, and Berlin for 57 dinners, which he’s documented on social media. He has over 120 more dinners planned through August.
I have such an emotional relationship with food from memories of my mother’s sautéed onions and jollof rice, having fantastic prosciutto in Venice, to remarkable meat in Argentina when I used to go watch my father play polo,” Awuah-Darko told the outlet. “I thought, ‘As I work with this non-violent transition in my life, why don’t I connect with people to break bread?’ “
“I find that I quite literally was made to interact with people this way. It’s such a beautiful, organic part of my life. It doesn’t feel difficult,” he continued. “I enjoy decentering myself from my life and being a part of other people’s during dinner. I do find great fulfillment in connecting with people this way.”
Despite how uplifted he feels through “The Last Supper Project,” Awuah-Darko still shares raw videos of how much he still struggles with his bipolar disorder. While he appreciates the sense of community from the dinners, he said he feels neither better nor worse.
“I still do wake up with breathing, really profound pain attached to my bipolar disorder. There’s a huge amount of ambivalence,” he told The Times. “I hope that [people with chronic mental illness] feel seen through my existence and my decision to live as authentically as possible. If I end up doing this for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t be upset.”
Are you comfortable in your suffering?? About 3 months ago I had to ask myself this very question. The last time I talked to my psychiatrist I shared with him how strange I felt that I was no longer having Bipolar symptoms. That my life seemed to be on the mend…
As many of you know I’ve been mentally struggling since I was 9 years old. I am now 45 and can finally see some light as the end of the tunnel. I think as humans sometimes we don’t realize how many “norms” we create for ourselves. I’ve heard people ask, “Is it just my personality or is it because I’m Bipolar??” Some people get so comfortable in the illness they can no longer distinguish between the two.
I thank God everyday for his grace and mercy and that I am finally feeling mentally stable consistently. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not naive. I know there is no cure for mental illness. I’m just saying with each day my faith is increasing and my life is not the same. Something miraculous is gradually happening to me and I give God the glory. We may not understand the reasons why we mentally suffer. But, I am reminded of a few scriptures:
Jeremiah 29: 11 – 13 / For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Romans 8:28 / And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
So just remember your suffering is not in vain and all storm clouds eventually run out of rain.
You know life is more than stress and anxiety. So many people worry over the littlest things. While one person may see struggle as inevitable, another may see it as avoidable. It’s all about individual perspective.
When I first entered recovery for mental health, they taught us The Serenity Prayer. It took awhile, but I memorized that thing and held on to it for dear life. It really got me through the toughest years of my life and I still depend on it daily.
But, what happens when we fight against the things we cannot change? We literally send ourselves to an early grave. We indulge in things we know we shouldn’t. We react to situations from a place of emotion instead of rationale. We project our negative feelings unto others. We become stagnate, unable to move forward in life.
It took me awhile to accept my mental health for what it is. I had to realize that a bad day does not equal a bad life. I’ve been stable for the last six months, and though it feels strange not to experience mania or depression I have decided not to fight against my stability. To take each day as it comes. It will last however long it lasts. I am not nervously waiting for the other shoe to drop or the inevitable crash that depression can bring.
It’s strange. But, it’s the new me. Past mental health experiences do not define who I am today. I will not fight against whatever God is doing in my life. I thank him for my stability and I encourage my readers to do the same. Don’t fight against the things you cannot change.
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Bipolar Christian Support 